As I start the retirement phase of my life, Beth asked if I would share some reflections about our work at Pathways to Restorative Communities (P2RC).  JJ, Beth, and I each came into this work from different directions.  Those differences helped us to create a strong and viable organization. JJ began her working life focused on health education before moving into mediation and eventually Restorative Justice.  My work focused on science education before I, too, moved into mediation and eventually Restorative Justice.  Beth’s work was focused on elementary education before her shift to Restorative Justice.  Our entry into the field happened at different times.   Both JJ and I started our work in this field in 2004–JJ as a facilitator for Communities for Restorative Justice (C4RJ) and I as a Fellow at the Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University.  We met one another in 2010 when I joined C4RJ as a Case Coordinator and we began to work cases together.  Beth began her work in Restorative Justice in 2015, shadowing me in Malden High.  

Initially our work grew out of work with C4RJ.  In 2013, Jennifer Larson Sawin, the then executive director of C4RJ, and I began to work together on a grant to introduce Restorative Justice to schools.  Jennifer’s task was to secure the funds from the Osterman Foundation; my task was to garner interest and support within the City of Malden–from the mayor and the High School principal. Christy Barbee, Chief Case Coordinator at C4RJ, and I began the work in Malden High in 2014.  We started first in the Pathways program and later included Principal circles with seniors and a number  Restorative Conferences to provide an alternative to suspension.

I was approached in the fall of 2015 by Gary Christensen, the Mayor of Malden, asking if some type of restorative intervention might help with a serious conflict at the Senior Center.  JJ and Beth joined me in that complicated project that involved ping pong and culture clashes between the Chinese and white seniors. This became our first piece of work separate from C4RJ.  As word about our work at Malden High spread, we received a call from the Melrose Superintendent asking if we could provide RJ training for Melrose educators.  So in August of 2016, we had our second piece of work not connected to C4RJ.

When the foundation funding for the project ended in 2016, C4RJ decided not to pursue school work directly.  That year the Assistant Superintendent of Malden Schools asked if we could develop a project that would expand Restorative Justice beyond the High School to all six schools in the district. All three of us were involved in this very full year of work with teachers, administrators, students, and parents in Malden.   Again, word of our efforts spread, and we were approached by other school districts for ideas about how to implement Restorative Practices. This interest helped us realize that we could no longer function as individual consultants; that we needed to become an organization.  

Pathways to Restorative Communities was born on April 4, 2018 at a Cafe Nero in Wellesley, MA.  That year our client list had grown to include 5 different school districts, then to 8 school districts in the next year.  We also expanded in two additional ways– to serving the private non-profit sector and to offering 2-day training sessions open to interested participants.  Our clients were no longer simply from the greater Boston area, we were now working with educators from all over Massachusetts and the surrounding states of Vermont and New Hampshire.  The focus of our work included short term training opportunities, designs for multi-year implementation, and interventions for whole school or organizational  conflicts.

 P2RC was off and running. Then COVID hit.  Like so many others, we started exploring ways to continue our work on ZOOM.  By the end of 2020 we began to offer ZOOM trainings.  Much to our surprise, not only were those trainings well attended, but the participants were now from all over US and the world.  In the past several years, our ZOOM trainings have included participants from 10 states and 4 countries. We found that we COULD hold circles on zoom and even have small groups working in the breakout rooms.  

We are grateful for our growing number of clients.  To date we have worked with multiple schools in 21 different school districts providing a range of support that has included single workshops, year long training/coaching, and crisis intervention work.  In addition, we have a non-school client group that includes 8 different organizations ranging from non-profits to educational collectives to churches and religious organizations.  Our Regional Training sessions have continued to be a great way for us to meet interested participants and for them to meet us.  

These past years have seen increased tension across the country and the world—from the racial disparities revealed in George Floyd’s murder to the current wars around the globe.  Many people are angry, scared, and wishing for a more peaceful way of coexisting with others.  Restorative Justice/ Practices provide tools to address one another when we don’t agree, as well as providing opportunities to create a sense of community among circle participants.  The growing interest in these practices gives me hope. 

I am confident that Pathways to Restorative Communities will continue to grow on the solid foundation that JJ, Beth, and I created over the past 7 years.  As JJ and I retire from active participation in P2RC, Rebecca Tarpin joins Beth to keep the organization moving forward.  I am eager to see how P2RC will continue to evolve.  Thanks to all of you who have supported us in the past and for your encouragement and wise suggestions for improvements.   May we all find avenues of peace on our travels