Monday 20th APRIL, 2009 “Restorative Practices” with Julie Matthews

Monday 20th APRIL, 2009 “Restorative Practices” with Julie Matthews

You are warmly invited to our next meeting of 2009 (a joint meeting with the Games & Simulations Network) on Monday 20th APRIL 2009

Simulations in the context of Restorative Practices
Julie Mathews will lead a session on Restorative Practices to reflect on past, present, future options for use in potentially difficult communication contexts.
The restorative practices concept has its roots in "restorative justice," a new way of looking at criminal justice that focuses on repairing the harm done to people and relationships rather than on punishing offenders (although restorative justice does not preclude incarceration of offenders or other sanctions). Originating in the 1970s as mediation between victims and offenders, in the 1990s restorative justice broadened to include communities of care as well, with victims' and offenders' families and friends participating in collaborative processes called "conferences" and "circles". See http://www.iirp.org/whatisrp.php
This is a collaborative meeting of the Simulations Games Network and the Facilitator’s Network, and Julie will use a number of strategies from simulation-supported learning contexts – including scenarios and the briefing/action/debriefing sequence. The session will model the use of such tools and invite participants to explore how these can be applied to a variety of contexts where improving the quality of communication is a priority.
Julie is passionate about the use of Restorative Practices to assist individuals and groups re-establish equanimity after damaging exchanges, so we can expect a powerful exploration of its principles. The session will provide insights into the values underpinning restorative practices and simulations for learning, a valuable introduction to current and future oriented communication strategies.