Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: $600,000 in funding to a restorative justice initiative led by Relationships First: Restorative Justice Education Consortium-NL.
Relationships First: Restorative Justice Education Consortium-NL, which is chaired by Dr. Dorothy Vaandering and Dr. Rose Ricciardelli, aims to nurture and support relational organizational cultures where children, youth, and adults alike thrive.
The funding, provided by Justice and Public Safety, will go toward hiring two Restorative Justice Coordinators, one for justice and community, and one for education, who will work to infuse Indigenous leadership of restorative justice into all facets of society.
The restorative justice movement is deeply rooted in teachings and traditions from Indigenous peoples of North America and beyond. Restorative justice aims to repair harm and rebuild relationships within communities.
Quotes
“We recognize government has a role to play in restorative justice and are pleased to offer funding to this group to continue their important work. As a government, we must always be seeking alternatives to the established way of dealing with societal issues, including justice reforms. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with this group to advance a restorative approach in our justice system.”
Honourable John Hogan
Minister of Justice and Public Safety
“Restorative justice is something we are looking to expand more into our K-12 school system. The Department of Education’s current mandate includes working with the expertise established at Memorial University to enhance teacher training in restorative justice principles and work to implement these principles into all our province’s schools. I am very much looking forward to the guidance this group will provide ensuring our policies, procedures and programming reflect a restorative justice lens.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Education
“The restorative justice movement has roots in Indigenous peacemaking. Therefore, I am pleased to see the Consortium intends to collaborate with Indigenous communities and seek the wisdom of elders with respect to restorative justice. Reconciliation is complex and Relationships First is discovering a bridging role toward Reconciliation. It’s our hope that harms may be healed and replaced with harmony.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation
Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs
“Relationships and interconnectedness are at the heart of restorative justice. When these break down, everyone and everything is impacted. We are grateful for funding that will allow us to collectively rediscover that before harm can be addressed, we need to understand how it came to be. Leaders and elders from the Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit communities understand this at their core. With their invaluable guidance, we are excited that Relationships First will be working together with so many to amplify the principles and practices of restorative justice for the well-being of everyone in this province.”
Dr. Dorothy Vaandering
Professor, Faculty of Education
Director, Relationships First: Restorative Justice in Education Consortium-NL