Thursday, August 18th
8 a.m PST| 11 a.m EST
Offered by Will Work For Food and moderated by Jeff Kichaven (www.JeffKichaven.com ) and Jean Lawler (www.LawlerADR.com)
This worldwide conversation will be like nothing else. Join in! Share, learn, have fun.
Please consider supporting Mr. MacTavish’s preferred food bank, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
Our Special guest this week, Mr. Ryan MacTavish, Service Coordinator, Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, Community Justice Initiatives will present on:
Restorative Justice: Victim-Offender Reconciliation
Restorative Justice programs are utilized all over the world but how exactly do they work? In this presentation, I'll share how we at Community Justice Initiatives utilize a transformative mediation model to address harm. CJI's Victim Offender Reconciliation Program receives referrals from local police services, Kitchener, Stratford and Guelph courts, and local probation and parole offices. Participation in VORP requires that the accused are ready to accept responsibility for their actions, meet with the victim and mediators to discuss the harm caused, and make amends. Trained volunteer mediators and CJI staff support participants by helping prepare them for mediation and help to hold a safe space to have a restorative dialogue. I will share some personal experiences of mediating some challenging cases, walk through the VORP process, and answer any questions you may have about how restorative justice is integrated into our local judicial systems.
Ryan is a First Nations Mohawk of the Six Nations of the Grand River and a proud member of the Turtle Clan. He graduated from the Social Service Worker Program at Conestoga College in 2016 and has been the Service Coordinator of Adult Victim Offender Reconciliation Program for the last 5 years. 2 years ago, Ryan added the Youth Victim Offender Reconciliation Program to his portfolio. Ryan has instructed and coached CJI's Transformative Mediation Training and has over 500 hours of mediation facilitation. He brings a personal commitment to living restoratively and passionately works to inspire others to embrace restorative approaches in their lives, communities, and workplaces.