BELFAST — Registration is open for two online restorative practices training programs through the Hutchinson Center. This six-session course, part of the University of Maine Hutchinson Center’s professional development program, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 20-21, May 19, June 29-30, and July 21. The cost is $900 per person. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. More information is online.
Today’s best thinking in leadership, education and change management emphasizes the need to create spaces where people feel seen, heard and part of a community that cares. Restorative practices, which have their roots in Indigenous knowledge and traditions, are poised to meet this need, improving and repairing relationships between people and communities. The purpose of restorative practices is to build healthy communities, increase social capital, decrease crime and antisocial behavior, repair harm and restore relationships.
Through this Foundations in Restorative Practices program, participants will learn nonadversarial problem-solving tools to reach solutions in moments of conflict that go beyond de-escalation and build safer, healthier, more equitable environments. Systematic use of restorative practices can leave participants and the people they interact with feeling connected to positive, resilient and accountable communities.
Educators, parents, school administrators, health care providers, social workers, police officers, municipal workers and nonprofit workers alike can benefit from restorative practices.
The restorative practices program is facilitated by Heather Fogg, Sarah Matari and Jamar Williams of Restorative Justice Project Maine.
Fogg joined RJPM July 2021. She values the interconnectedness of all people and honors that as a circle keeper; conflict coach; mediator; restorative dialogue and restorative reflection facilitator; community dialogue facilitator; conferencing facilitator; and Certified Optimum Life Breathologist. Fogg shares her love of the work by awakening the ideas and concepts within others via trainings, presentations and courses about conflict and resolution and restorative justice. She served on the board and leadership circle of the Circle of Restorative Initiatives for Maryland, helping to spread the awakening to restorative values and the processes that support them. Fogg was fortunate to grow in the field with years of support, love and encouragement from colleagues and collaborators at the Maryland Judiciary Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office.
Matari began providing restorative practices and mediation services to institutions and communities early on in her alternative dispute resolution career. As a trainer and consultant for the New York City Department of Education restorative pilot project, she delivered mediation and restorative circle trainings to staff and students in an effort to help schools work toward restorative culture change. She learned firsthand the importance of having a sustainable implementation strategy and team approach when engaging with restorative practices and brings that experience in her directing of RJPM’s Training and Capacity Building Team.
Williams joined RJPM in August 2021 as a trainer on the Training and Capacity Building Team. He has extensive experience in various aspects of the prison reentry field and has leveraged his expertise to educate others in universities, institutions and conferences across the country. His focus on social and restorative justice has led him to relocate to Maine to train others on restorative justice practices.
For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Abby Spooner at [email protected] or 207-338-8002. Participants may be eligible for funding from the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce. Learn more here.
More information about upcoming professional development programs, including how to register, is online. Need-based scholarships are available. Early registration is recommended as spots are limited.
