Secondary Schools - School District #35

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feature Peacebuilding TAlking peace conversation peace Restorative Action in Elementary Schools Restorative Action in Secondary Schools Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association & Langley School District #35 TRAINER MANUAL Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association & Langley School District #35 • www.sd35.bc.ca Restorative Action it takes time but it’s worth it As BC’s Restorative Justice Coordinator, and a seminal figure in the implementation of Restorative Action programs in Langley School District, Catherine Bargen knows in her heart that it makes absolute sense to heal relationships rather than simply punish transgressors when ‘harm’ has been done in a community. That’s the foundational principle of Restorative Justice. But ask her if she still has to struggle with the impulse to punish and Ms. Bargen doesn’t hesitiate. “Absolutely,” she said. “I’m constantly uncovering, and uncovering, and uncovering more and more layers of how deep it goes within us – the impulse to cut people off instead of staying in a relationship with them when we are experiencing conflict.” Catherine Bargen, author of Educating for Peacebuilding the new Restorative Action resource She and her colleagues don’t have any illusions about how much work remains to be done to shift society’s deeply ingrained response from punishment to a philosophy of healing. But there are examples of progress, Langley School District being one of them. Ms. Bargen recently launched her new book Educating for Peacebuilding, which is based to a large degree on the successful implementation of Restorative Action programs in this district. What distinguishes Langley from most others is the fact that Restorative Justice was adopted as a district-wide strategy Ms. Bargen noted. Restorative Action is part of the curriculum at the elementary and secondary levels in Langley, with Talking Peace introducing younger students to the principles of Restorative Action, and Conversation Peace building on that learning. “Conversation Peace is a training manual outlining four days of training and 6 Student Success
a student workbook,” Ms. Bargen said. “It really is just teaching the skills of mediation and the principles embedded in that mediation.” Restorative Action Coordinator for Langley School District Dan Basham said ‘teams’ have been established in seven Langley high schools. This fall 50 secondary students were trained using the Conversation Peace manual, and training was also offered to 24 elementary students. He noted that as well as getting support from the district the program is getting support from the community. Coast Capital Savings has provided funding. Despite Langley’s progress, he said there’s a long way to go. “Punishment is very quick,” he said. “I’m not saying everybody deals with things in a punitive way, but it may not be being dealt with in a restorative way either, right, because that takes time to do properly.” Lasting solutions almost always take time though, and Mr. Basham believes we won’t ever get there if we run out of patience. “If you just jump to solutions, which is the tendency because as adults we want to fix things for kids, then it’s very difficult to come to a meaningful kind of solution or agreement or consensus,” he said. Mr. Basham doesn’t rest his case for Restorative Action on a strictly cost-benefit analysis. A system that embraces mediation instead of punishment might see a decrease in anti-social behaviours; it will certainly feel empowered when it comes to dealing with situations that will inevitably occur. “I think there would still be conflict – I mean conflict is normal,” he explained. “What would change is students’ ability to resolve conflict in a peaceful way. Students would be more equipped with tools to resolve things next time in a better way.” Makes sense. So why isn’t Restorative Justice the norm “I think one of the systemic obstacles is our deeply held views around punishment,” Ms. Bargen said. “Even those of us who think it does make sense, we do find ourselves wanting revenge or thinking that people do need to be punished for their wrong actions. “That’s almost reflexive in our society. Our notions about punishment are very deeply held. “ Madeleine de Little, Senior Counselor at Langley Fine Arts School, believes that reflex can be countered by a determined effort to implement Restorative Action. LFAS Madeleine de Little, Senior Counselor at Langley Fine Arts School Dan Basham, Coordinator Restorative Action for Langley School District has a very active program, she noted. Up to 30 students often show up for weekly Restorative Action breakfast meetings, and the school’s annual RA retreat has been a huge success. She said the program changes students who participate in it. At one of their weekly sessions the students were asked: “How is it impacting your life now” “They were saying ‘I’m different,” Ms. De Little reported. “I’m completely different because of my experiences and what I’ve been learning over the last few years. I’m more understanding; I’m more compassionate. I see the world differently. I view conflict differently.” “It’s just unbelievably important that every child learn this stuff,” she concluded. Critics argue that you can’t make someone engage in a restorative process in good faith. Ms. Bargen responds that a variety of responses are necessary, but that the effort should be made to restore relationships rather than punish offences. “If the person who has caused harm isn’t willing to engage, then we start saying ‘Well, we’d like to support you in doing better or making things right,’ but when that doesn’t happen we as a community say, ‘We’re not okay with what you’re doing,’ and boundaries need to be put in place.” The objective, though, is to enlarge those boundaries if possible, so that those who have caused harm can learn to take responsibility for their actions. v secondary edition 7
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Secondary Schools - School District #35

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