Empower Young People Using a Restorative Justice Lens

Your Course Description

Your Competency Focus Area

Behavioral Intervention

Punitive consequences for young people’s behavior often address a symptom and don’t get at the root causes of harm or conflict that is compounded by these stresses and injustices.
Restorative justice practices center the focus on building and repairing positive relationships for shared problem solving rather than punitive repercussions for unwanted behavior.
Consider how you can bring restorative justice and a restorative mindset to your work with young people. Your efforts may take more time this way, but the positive collaboration leads to better outcomes for all.

Your Learning Objectives

Identify the basics of Restorative Justice philosophy
Recognize key components of Restorative Justice practice
Consider systemic barriers that affect youth work
Explore what Restorative Justice practice can look like in various youth work settings
Learn how to use internal process questions to develop a restorative mindset for working with young people

Your Course Details

Completion Certificate
Youth Worker Track
This training will count as 1.5 CE hours for most boards. Please contact your board directly with questions on submitting. Course details for CE submissions provided.

Your Trainer

Cynthia Prosek has over 25 years of restorative justice practice. As executive director of Restorative Justice Community Action (RJCA), Cynthia leads a trajectory of growth, expanding services and deepening community engagement in restorative justice practices. She draws on the knowledge and wisdom of community, collaborating with a network of volunteers, practitioners, leaders, and agencies to promote community well-being. Cynthia promotes and implements new programming through a lens of race equity as the means to transform the criminal legal system and redefine public safety as rooted in community.

Jaime Gjerdingen (jer-di-gen) is attending the University of Minnesota to earn her Master of Social Work (MSW). She is currently an intern with Restorative Justice Community Action (RJCA). Jaime lives in St. Paul with her partner, three kids, and two cats. As an intern with RJCA, Jaime has been delightfully surprised by how consistently relationships between people have been repaired or strengthened through the Restorative Justice process, especially between parents and their kids, as well as those harmed and those who caused harm.