About
Peace of the circle

Offering space for people to connect, communicate and create change.

We specialize in difficult conversations

 Using the energy of conflict to generate peace…

Our work includes

  • teaching effective communication
  • fostering healthy relations
  • resolving & transforming conflict and crime
  • training & facilitating peace circles
  • teaching, developing & implementing restorative justice
  • organizational change & conscious governance
  • building productive cohesive groups, teams & organizations
  • facilitating dialogue, meetings, retreats & events
  • training facilitators
We are the bridge between your current situation and what is possible

Methodologies

  • Peacemaking Circles
  • Restorative Justice
  • Deliberate Dialogue
  • Dynamic Facilitation
  • Appreciative Inquiry
  • Nonviolent Communication
  • Open Space Technology
  • World Café

Peace of the Circle was founded by Dr. Evelyn Zellerer

Located in Vancouver, Canada – the unceded, traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations

We are committed to decolonizing, conscious leadership, stewardship and fostering respectful relations.

Together creating a kinder, more conscious, peaceful world.

We are global and will come to you!

Working With

  • Governments
  • Indigenous Nations
  • Communities
  • Schools
  • Families
  • Workplaces
  • Police
  • Courts
  • Corrections

Meet our Peace of the Circle Team

Dr. Evelyn Zellerer

Dr. Evelyn Zellerer

Founder & Director

Coordinator, Restorative City Vancouver

Evelyn has over 25 years of international experience. She earned her Ph.D. in criminology, and specializes in communication, peacemaking, restorative justice, and conscious governance.

Evelyn has taught and led projects in diverse settings, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Caribbean, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Nepal, South Africa, UK and USA. Evelyn is a published author and has presented at many national and international forums, including the United Nations.

She is a sought after facilitator, trainer, coach and speaker.

Evelyn is a proud mom of her son. When not working, you will find her immersed in photography, nature and the ocean.

Retired Chief Justice Barry Stuart

Retired Chief Justice Barry Stuart

Facilitator

Barry is a retired judge, internationally respected leader in multiparty conflict resolution, and pioneer in using peacemaking circles over the past 40 years.

Barry’s work focuses on resolving disputes and consensus-building in both the public and private sector. He has worked as a lawyer, mediator, facilitator, policy analyst, chief land claims negotiator, and judge. He played a leading role in shaping environmental law in the 1970s in Canada. He is co-author of Peacemaking Circles: From Crime to Community (2003).
It’s not possible to list all his contributions!

Barry and Evelyn co-facilitate advanced courses. They are planning a retreat for facilitators and co-authoring a book.

We are honoured to learn from and work with Barry!

Norm Leech

Norm Leech

Facilitator

Norm Leech is a Restorative Collective Vancouver founding member, Co-Chair of Metro Vancouver Aboriginal Executive Council and former Executive Director, Vancouver Aboriginal Community Policing Centre.  Norm grew up in East Vancouver, with ancestry in the T’it’q’et community of the St’at’imc nation. 

Norm is an advocate for urban Indigenous peoples and speaks on the Indigenous experience and trauma from colonization drawing on his experiences as a recovering alcoholic/ addict, inter-generational survivor, and spiritual explorer.  He offers land-based, body-centred, cultural approaches that provide inspirations for modern restorative practices.

As a trained facilitator for human rights and Restorative Justice, Norm facilitates the Indigenous cultural sessions for Police Academy and Sheriffs Academy at the Justice Institute.

Norm is the current ED of Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House and serves on various boards and committees including; MVAEC, AFDS, VPD IAC, and the DTES CLT.

Katrina Pacey

Katrina Pacey

Facilitator

Katrina was raised and currently lives as a settler on the ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, otherwise referred to as East Vancouver.

Her life and work have been guided by a commitment to justice, equity, and peacebuilding, and these core values led to a legal career focused on serving the community and cultivating change. Now, Katrina works as a facilitator, restorative justice practitioner, and mediator and is passionate about Peace Circles as a powerful way to create open, inclusive, and collaborative dialogue.

Katrina’s life outside of work profoundly shapes who she is, including her deep connection to nature and beloved community of family and friends.

Elder Phil Mechuskosis L’Hirondelle

Elder Phil Mechuskosis L’Hirondelle

Facilitator

Mechuskosis is a Cree Elder from Alberta, Canada. He moved to BC and works as an Indigenous Elder in prisons for Corrections Canada.

After many years of teachings and trainings with his Elders, Mechuskosis established All My Relations Teachings in the early 1990s. He has led many ceremonies and talking and healing circles. Mechuskosis offers teachings to bring healing, personal development, and an environmental consciousness that we are all related and created equal in the eyes of Creator. He brings a unique blend of Aboriginal and Eastern traditions to his teachings.

Mechuskosis and Evelyn co-facilitate decolonization, reconciliation, medicine wheel and peace circles workshops.

They met at sundance, and continue to be sundancers and in ceremony together.

Erin Leckie

Erin Leckie

Operations Manager

Erin has over 10 years of people, organization and project management experience and 20 years facilitating environmental education and inclusivity work. She is a queer, neurodivergent (dyslexic) settler of Celtic ancestry who has grown up on and fallen in love with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sel̓íl̓witulh, and sḵwx̱wú7mesh lands and waters.

Erin continues to learn how to decolonize work and co-create environments and programs that support individual, collective and organizational thriving. She has done this through management roles, as a non-profit Executive Director, Board member, strategic advisor and intentional collaborator. Erin recently trained in restorative justice facilitation and collaborative conflict resolution.

In her spare time, she can be found canoeing rivers, scaling mountains or participating in cultural gatherings.

Michael Wiebe

Michael Wiebe

PR

Mike was born on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Raised by a single mom, he learned firsthand the importance of being part of his community and connecting to the arts, culture, parks, lands and waters. He’s now the Principal of the WELL Strategies, a consulting firm built on the values of wellbeing and community.

For the last four years he was a Vancouver City Councillor and worked with many community groups, businesses and orders of government to set precedent setting plans and projects. He also represented Vancouver as a Director on the Board of Directors of Metro Vancouver and as Vice Chair on the Regional Parks Committee where he tripled the Parks acquisition budget. He has also sat on many organizations and committees to better his community including The Vancouver Parks Board, the Vancouver Restorative Collective, Art House Society, Mount Pleasant BIA, EasyPark, Persons with Disabilities Advisory Group, Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group, 2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Group and more. This work continues for him as the WELL now has multiple spaces across the city supporting community wellbeing.

Tina Overbury

Tina Overbury

Communications

Tina is a multidisciplinary artist, storyteller, writer and producer. She works with narrative, storytelling and a spirit of play as vehicles for human connection, restorative experiences rooted in deep listening, relational leadership, and reconciliation.

As the Managing Director of PowHERhouse, Tina champions relational changemakers and social impacters guided by Indigenous and ancestral wisdom.

Tina started her communications career as a publicist for theatre companies and shows. As a producer, she launched various events, including press conferences.

Originally from Quebec, Tina is grateful to live, work and play on Nexwlélexm (Bowen Island), the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. She’s a proud, inspired and grateful mom to three young men: Connolly, Angus and Cedar.

Zoe Gray

Zoe Gray

Social Media

Zoe is a communications practitioner, dedicated to cultivating safe spaces for truth-based, open communication to grow. As a relational leader with PowHERhouse, and producer of Gather for Her, she works to create more safety in social media and communications through open hearted media and messaging that fosters relationships rather than just followers.

Zoe approaches communication through a lens of restorative practices. She believes that through the authentic and brave expression of individuals and organizations and holding space for stories that push beyond limiting societal stereotypes and compartmentalized thinking we will see the narrative shift to a place of greater inclusion, transparency, and authentic comfort for any living being.

Zoe has over seven years of experience facilitating individual and organizational expression within the constructs of social media, web design, graphic design, digital storytelling, producing, writing, and video editing, with roots in facilitating personal expression and story through visual arts.

She is grateful to enjoy and learn from the beautiful landscape of Vancouver Island with her family, specifically the unceded and ancestral territory of the Xwsepesum and Lekwungen families and ancestors, where she lives as an uninvited guest. One of Zoe’s favourite things is to spend time with Ella & Evan, her two kids, who are her most treasured teachers – if they can do this on the beach, even better!

Highlights

Annual highlights from Peace of the Circle

Highlights 2021 & Moving Forward

Highlights 2021 & Moving Forward

We are here to connect with you and offer highlights from our year, as well as invite possibilities to create moving forward. Now is the time for change and we're grateful you are with us on this journey. A big thank you to all the leaders, organizations and community...

Highlights 2020 & Resources

Highlights 2020 & Resources

Wow 2020 was a year of surprises, challenges, reckonings and opportunities. At Peace of the Circle, we had a very active year! Offering you highlights as well as inspiration and resources. And acknowledging our wonderful hosts and partners. Grateful to connect with...

Highlights of 2019

Highlights of 2019

Celebrating highlights of 2019 and acknowledging our wonderful hosts and partners around the world!
From Nepal to Kwadacha Nation…

Highlights of 2018

Highlights of 2018

We have the privilege of working with amazing people and organizations around the world! Celebrating a few highlights from 2018: Brazil - Training Judges What a privilege spending a week with 100 judges - federal and representatives from every state in Brazil. Dr....