CHICAGO | Eleven Seeds and peers took part in a two-day training on restorative justice that introduced them to supportive community members in order to deepen Seeds of Peace’s roots in Chicago.
The “Intro to Restorative Justice and Peace Circles: Transforming with Our Young People” program took place on February 25 and 26 at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law’s Center for Negotiation and Mediation.
Restorative justice in the school environment is a process that emphasizes community accountability, safety, and skill development in an effort to collaboratively create a more peaceful and inclusive climate.
Center for Negotiation and Mediation Director Lynn Cohn commended the Seeds on the important and inspiring work they are doing in Chicago.
The program also helped the group plan the next steps in the Chicago community action plan. The plan was formulated by the Seeds at the Seeds of Peace Camp last summer to spread opportunities for informal dialogue with their peers in neighborhoods across the city. The plan builds on the successes of the Lab-Woodlawn Partnership, a monthly gathering initiated by Seeds between students of different backgrounds from the University of Chicago Lab School and Woodlawn Charter School.
During the peace circles portion of the program, participants shared personal stories of struggle and resiliency and reflected on sources of inspiration.
“I heard so many eye-opening stories from the Seeds that attended, just by the way they described the current state of their neighborhood or a challenge that they had once gone through, said Jackson, a Seed from Chicago’s North Side. “I feel like the two days changed my perspective.”
India, a Seed from Chicago’s South Side, reflected on the safe space created during the program.
“It’s safe for me because [this] is a place you can be very vulnerable,” she said. “It’s a place that you can get many things off your chest and not be judged by it.”
Seeds of Peace Chicago Coordinator Ben Durchslag reflected on how he took the energy and empathy-building from the peace circles training into his life as a school social worker.
“I never realized that my school could benefit so much on such personal levels from the work I am doing with Seeds of Peace,” he said. “My school district supported me to become trained as a circle keeper in 2013, and since then, I have envisioned uniting Seeds of Peace and Restorative Justice Communities in Chicago.”