Community Justice for Youth Institute values:
- Building strong community relationships as a means to keep communities safe. Quoting Grace Lee Boggs, “Putting the Neighbor Back in the Hood.”
- Engaging communities in restorative practices to resolve conflicts involving youth, as an alternative to police and the school-to-jail pipeline
- Advocating for youth to have access to resources and opportunities to reach their full potential…
- Responding to youth crime by addressing the harm and meeting the needs of all involved; including the youth, those harmed and those causing harm
Building community capacity to resolve youth violence and conflict, help survivors of violence heal, and support families impacted by violent crime through restorative justice training, technical assistance, and advocacy.
Community
Restorative justice is about the capacity of people to identify and solve their own problems. The concentration of power and influence in the hands of professionals has not served communities, particularly communities of color.
Restorative Justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict. It places decisions in the hands of those who have been most affected by a wrongdoing, and gives equal concern to the victim, the offender, and the surrounding community. read more
Education and Advocacy
CJYI conducts monthly Circle Keeper Trainings. The multi-day experiential training prepares participants to facilitate peace circles with community members, youth, and institutional staff; to build and improve relationships, promote open and honest dialogue, and create safe spaces to address difficult issues. Participants learn the stages and flow of the circle and practice the fundamental elements of the peace circle process, including: ritual, story-telling and shared experiences, creating safe space, establishing core shared values, building relationships and trust, and consensus decision-making.
We conduct advanced training to help more experienced circle keepers working with issues of conflict. We interface with the courts to decrease incarceration and punitive responses to harm.
Schools
CJYI is working with schools and communities across Chicago to ensure that administrators, teachers, students and parents have the training and support necessary to implement effectively restorative practices
