Seeking new Board Members!
As a Board member of RJABC, you will play a key role in raising awareness of restorative justice as well as support capacity-building for delivery of services across the province.
Call for Presenters
The 2023 PRJS Committee are seeking presenters for an in-person symposium on June 7-8, 2023. The theme is Gathering for Connection, Community, & Change: The Power of Restorative Justice. Since its establishment five years ago, Restorative Justice Association of BC (RJABC) has hosted several events from community dialogue gatherings, networking events, stakeholder strategic meetings, and the National RJ Symposium, positioning RJABC well to host BC’s first provincial restorative justice symposium this year.
AGM, Strategic Plan and Listening Project reports
The AGM was well attended with many of our members, partners, and the larger restorative justice community present at the meeting. After hearing from Co-Chairs Alana Abramson and Suzanne Dorey, and Executive Director Christianne Paras, we shared a summary of the Listening Project final report and presented our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan.
Board Member Profile: Warren McDougal
“I was at the lowest point in my life. The people in the AVP showed me how to find, build, and maintain safety through connection with others. I couldn’t believe that in the eyes of these strangers I mattered and that I had something of value to contribute. I started to remember what it feels like to be human. I didn’t change overnight but that weekend set me on the path I remain on today. I had a tremendous amount of healing and growing to do, and I’m still learning and growing. Without RJ I wouldn’t have had a chance to give back and probably wouldn’t even be alive. RJ is the reason I’m where I am today, and it’s the reason I do what I do.”
RJ in BC
Think you have the RJ landscape in BC figured out? In this article we will sharing some quick facts that may broaden your understanding of RJ in BC.
Board Member Profile: Roselle Quinones
I have been involved in the field of victim services since 1995 – first as a volunteer then in 2001 as a paid police victim services caseworker and in 2012 as the program coordinator of a police victim services unit. During this time, when the concept of Restorative Justice was introduced to me, it was deemed to be more beneficial for the offender and it set aside the needs of the victim. It wasn’t until I attended a conference in 2018 hosted in Halifax that I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment: Restorative Justice focuses on restoring the harm. Harm cannot be restored unless those who have been harmed have been considered and engaged.
Five Myths surrounding Restorative Justice
Although written in 2002, these myths surrounding restorative justice are still very much a reality. Hope Howard Zehr’s words can guide you in your work in addressing some of these common misconceptions of RJ.
Call for Contributors!
Sharing a very exciting Call for Contributors from Living [...]
Jillian Murphy’s Restorative Justice Story
One quiet evening at home over 20 years ago my mother, Sandra sat awestruck watching as a tragic story unfolded on the evening news. Katy Hutchison, a young widow from Squamish BC, had met with and forgiven the young man who took her husband's life. Katy was sharing her story with the world watching from the edge of their seats. She committed herself to ensuring that the rest of her life was invested – not in the manner of her husband’s death and the pain of his murder, but in his life and the healing and wellbeing of everyone impacted by his loss. That newscast was my mother's first encounter with what our family later came to know as Restorative Justice. Little did we know that over a decade later we would be living out a story very similar to Katy’s.
Decolonization and Restorative Justice
A paper by Dr. Muhammad Asadullah, an Assistant Professor [...]