Thank you to everyone who attended RJABC's Annual General Meeting last Wednesday. It was wonderful to see so many of our members and partners in attendance! For those who were unable to attend, please find the AGM package attached with the annual reports presented by Co-Chairs Alana Abramson and Siobhan Brown, Executive Director Christianne Paras, and Treasurer Warren McDougall.
Restorative Justice Association of BC (RJABC) is excited to host its 2nd Provincial Restorative Justice Symposium (PRJS). PRJS seeks to offer engagement and learning opportunities for restorative justice programs, practitioners, advocates, and justice partners in building capacity for victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive restorative justice approaches.
RJABC is seeking curriculum developers to support RJABC’s foundational training initiative. The initiative aims to develop a 'baseline' restorative justice training grounded in a principled approach, recommended best practices, and research-based evidence. The purpose of the foundational training initiative is to respond to the disparity of access to training for RJ programs and to address the need for developing and progressing a restorative justice approach that is victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. Application deadline April 26, 2024 with interviews to be conducted between May 8 and June 5, 2024.
A look back at some of our events last year as part of RJABC’s strategic and operational plan to increase awareness and understanding of restorative justice across the province and help build capacity for restorative justice programs and practitioners. Learn more about RJABC’s strategic and operational plan illustrated in the graphics, the successes of year 1 and year 2, and our continued work to further establish RJABC, and engage with our members and partners to promote the growth of restorative justice in BC.
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.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
