May you enjoy our annual tradition of sharing highlights of the year, appreciating the many hearts and hands we are privileged to work with and who impact our peacemaking journey.
We look forward to flourishing together in 2025!
Enjoy the following highlights below:
Restorative City Vancouver
Much of our focus continues to be advancing Vancouver becoming a Restorative City, the first in Canada!
We’ve been collaboratively writing the inaugural Restorative City Framework, a longer labour of love than anticipated! We now have a comprehensive draft that is currently under review with senior staff of the City of Vancouver and our key partners. We thank the City for this important contract and their support.
Next steps include sharing it with the three local First Nations and City Council.
It’s always uplifting gathering with the Restorative Collective Vancouver. We recently met for updates on new restorative initiatives and Dr. Evelyn Zellerer walked everyone through our full draft Restorative City Framework.
“Every time I meet in circle, I leave different than I arrived. It takes me from my head to my heart, and I want to do that in everything that we do.” - Collective participant
We began and ended the year with exciting news of receiving grants from the Law Foundation of BC, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and City of Vancouver for our inaugural Restorative Neighbourhood - Hastings Sunrise. See below for details.
Restorative Neighbourhoods
Hastings Sunrise
The first restorative neighbourhood initiative with Hastings Sunrise is progressing! Highlights in brief include:
- Curriculum development and a phased training approach that included multi-day sessions with Norm Leech, Dr. Evelyn Zellerer, Gillian Lindquist, and Raj Dhasi.
- The cohort of peacemakers are co-facilitating dialogue circles to put their new knowledge into practice. Circles thus far have included with youth, staff, volunteers, and Boards.
- Ongoing mentoring and debriefs, in writing and in virtual circles.
- We gathered local leaders to build relations and invite collaboration in moving forward with this blossoming neighbourhood initiative; their enthusiastic response is inspiring!
- The leadership team is regularly meeting, visioning, strategic planning, doing outreach and building organizational capacities.
- Developing a restorative justice program.
If you live or work in Hastings Sunrise and wish to have facilitated conversations, let us know!
Watch our short videos of peacemakers trainings on our new YouTube channel!
Hastings Sunrise is our first Restorative Neighbourhood initiative as part of Vancouver becoming a Restorative City. Peace of the Circle is thrilled to partner with Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House and Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre.
We thank our funders the City of Vancouver, Law Foundation of BC, and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
Presentations
National Restorative Justice Symposium
The National Restorative Justice Symposium in Ottawa was a fantastic opportunity to engage and learn about what’s happening across the country and beyond!
"I really appreciated the wonderful interest and feedback to my presentation on Vancouver becoming a Restorative City" - Dr. Evelyn Zellerer
A great way to spend RJ Week!
Executive Briefing on Restorative Approaches
Our founding director, Dr. Evelyn Zellerer, appreciated the wonderful reception in Alberni to her Executive Briefing on Restorative Principles & Practices and sharing about our Restorative City initiative.
Thank you Alberni Valley Restorative Justice Society for inviting Evelyn and hosting this inspiring gathering!
Facilitating
Leadership Retreat
Dr. Evelyn Zellerer was delighted to facilitate a retreat with the Senior Leadership Team from Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House. They met using our Circle process and dove into authentic discussion about their purpose, role, and direction as they move forward with some valuable changes. Thank you for the diverse, vital work you do for community.
Anti-Violence Sector Dialogue
As part of their national work on Building Capacity for the Anti-Violence Sector: Reimagining Justice, Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre invited Dr. Evelyn Zellerer to facilitate a circle during a multi-day retreat at beautiful Loon Lake, BC.
The dialogue circle with national leaders was beautiful and profound, while also recognizing that relationships between the feminist anti-violence and restorative justice sectors have been distant and the issues complicated.
Peace Circles & Restorative Trainings
Vancouver Police Department
Celebrating a second Restorative Complaint Resolution training for the Vancouver Police Department! We applaud the Professional Standards Section for implementing this new restorative process as an option for complaints against police. A special acknowledgement of Inspector Carla Baker.
So far, four cases have been successfully resolved and we are hoping to keep this 100% success rate!
Carcross/Tagish First Nation
We celebrate Carcross/Tagish First Nation and the people who came together to learn about peacemaking.
Dr. Evelyn Zellerer is honoured to be a course developer and facilitator with C/TFN.
This year, Evelyn facilitated the final week of the Foundations course and another round of Level 2, which takes place over a few months.
Participants graduating with Level 2 co-facilitated Circles with justice professionals, young people learning traditional hunting/fishing, dads, and women.
Enjoy our short video journey of some highlights on YouTube!
Learn about this self-governing Nation with 6 clans in the Yukon.
Sea to Sky School District
in partnership with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw
Another fantastic group of administrators, teachers, counsellors, Indigenous educators & advisors from across the district completed a jam-packed 3 day training facilitated by Dr. Evelyn Zellerer. Students drummed us into circle and we got to experience their whole school circle opening and closing in the gym.
Enjoy our short video of some highlights of our most recent Peace Circles: Fundamentals training with the Sea to Sky School District in partnership with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw.
Special thanks to Cory Hartling, Josie Moore and Phillip Clarke. We applaud Sea to Sky SD#48!
Southern Gulf Islands Community Justice
We are grateful for our ongoing relationship with the Southern Gulf Islands Community Justice Program! It’s exciting to contribute to their expansion. This year we provided trainings on Galiano, Mayne, and Pender islands, facilitated by Dr. Evelyn Zellerer.
Congratulations to all the participants completing Peace Circles: The Fundamentals!
Together, they experienced and learned about the roots, process and invitation of peace circles, gaining lots of insights as well as practical tools.
We also applaud and thank the dedicated steering committee who completed a tailored third level Peace Circles training for Facilitators! This was a three day immersion into Circle design, process, facilitator awareness and tools, implementation, and answering lots of questions.
“I learned so much!”
“What a profound experience.”
This RJ program serves four islands: Galiano, Mayne, Pender, and Saturna. If you live or work on one of them, get in touch!
Alex House
It was a pleasure spending two days with leadership staff of Alex House and community partners, including members of the anti-racism coalition. They completed Peace Circles: The Fundamentals and we applaud their brilliance and enthusiasm to implement Circles moving forward.
Dr. Evelyn Zellerer facilitated an immersive training where there were “massive learnings” as one participant said. Another shared:
“I learned to lead in a totally different way.”
Alberni Valley Restorative Justice
Celebrating a great group of Alberni community members who completed Peace Circles: The Fundamentals!
Participants included high school students, educators, First Nations, police, corrections, non-profits and more.
Thanking Alberni Valley Restorative Justice Society for hosting and inviting Dr. Evelyn Zellerer to facilitate. Some reflections from participants included:
"I really appreciated the emphasis on intentionality."
"It’s so simple and so complex, and that’s the beauty of it."
Resources
When we curate highlights and invite you on a peacemaking journey,
we also love to share resources and promote colleagues!
Below are blogs from the year that each include a library of resources, click for descriptions and access links…
Resources in this blog include:
- a powerful Indigenous documentary YINTAH
- new book about restorative and trauma-informed practices in schools
- nonviolence radio & films
- free online victims and RJ course, with Restorative Justice Victoria
- inspiring annual report from Roca
- new global coalition Survivors of Sexual Violence for Justice Reform
Resources you will find in this blog include:
- RJ4ALL e-library
- Zehr Institute webinars
- European Forum for Restorative Justice
- RJ on the Rise podcast
- diverse applications of RJ
- free self-paced course about victim services and RJ
- Metta Center for Nonviolence
- 5 new RJ books of 2024
Resources you will find here include:
- an International RJ pledge
- The Forgiveness Project
- free RJ webinars
- new books spotlight
- restorative justice conferences
Happy New Year!
Thank you for being in Circle with us.
With Love,
Evelyn and Peace of the Circle Team
Founding Director, Dr. Evelyn Zellerer