Happy Fall, Everyone!
We’re happy to share our inaugural quarterly newsletter with you.
As we continue to explore the interconnectedness between restorative justice (RJ) and social-emotional learning (SEL), all of our work, whether SEL or RJ or a combination of both, is firmly grounded in relationship building. This is what we know to be true:
Fostering relationship building with the individuals and communities we serve makes it possible for us to see the best in ourselves and one another, and inspires us to reimagine justice in ways that lift up the humanity and dignity of all.
In the sections below, we share highlights of our work, wonderings, and ideas that keep us looking forward.
A warm welcome from Ellyn, RJI Board Chair
I’m excited by what we've done so far to lay a foundation for even greater things to come. Our already amazing board is expanding as we each bring our spectacular selves to reimagining justice in Illinois. We're eager to collaborate with you to build a world that works for everybody!
Get to know Sarah & Nancy
We are committed to shared leadership, an approach to management that sets us apart from other organizations. Sharing leadership permits us to contribute our varied talents to the areas we are most passionate about.
Sarah likes working with educators to develop their own social and emotional competencies and finds budgeting a welcome change of pace. Nancy likes developing powerful questions for circle facilitation and also likes coalition building and other ways of increasing a greater sense of interconnection with our colleagues and the communities we work with.
We’re looking forward to introducing our board of trustees next quarter!
Our Work: relationship as a verb
Our relationships help guide how we choose the work we take on. We value working in partnership with people whose talents, skills, and perspectives complement our own. We are stronger together, and experience has shown us that partnership draws good work.
Below are some highlights of our recent projects.
Holistic Wellness: Maywood, IL
We’re in the final home stretch of our 28-month initiative funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to address the isolation and mental health issues revealed and exacerbated by COVID-19.
We and our partners, the Lurie Center for Childhood Resilience and A Greater Good Foundation, worked with the Regional Safe School Program to support the mind, body, heart, and spirit of the school’s staff, students, and families.
Amazing new Circle Keepers showing off their first talking pieces.
System-Involved Youth: Rockford, IL
We recently facilitated an experiential restorative justice 4-day training with Youth Services Network, a Redeploy and Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services site in Rockford in Winnebago County. Participants included staff from YSN and other community organizations, system personnel, and local agency staff who work with system-involved young people.
Restorative Circles: Champaign, IL
This summer, we partnered with the Trauma & Resilience Initiative to train staff in restorative circles. We also led a gathering at the Douglass Branch Library to identify how residents and organizations such as Redeploy, DREAAM, the University of Illinois School of Social Work, Champaign County Probation, and the city’s Equity & Engagement Department can work together to achieve restorative justice in Champaign and the surrounding areas.
Can you find Sarah & Nancy?
Reimagining research
Through evaluation and action research, we seek out a broad range of expertise and wisdom to ensure our work has a meaningful and timely impact. We engage the people we serve to ensure that the work we do is relevant and inclusive. Research (formal and informal) strengthens our efforts. And, more research needs to be done; we plan to contribute to the field.
Like the piece to the right, we’ll share some of the best of what we find each quarter.
Justice is a whole body experience
We employ an ecological approach to attending to the holistic wellness of people, communities, and systems, seeking to uncover and address the root causes and impacts of injustice. Honoring the whole, we incorporate food, music, art, and storytelling into our work, all of which contribute to our foundational goals around building connections.
Breaking bread
We are serious about the power of food. We ensure to have healthy food at our meetings and trainings (holistically healthy, so chocolate counts). Food is comfort, and a way to nurture, learn about, and experience our diversity. Ultimate, it brings people together.
Speaking of food, we love pie. Here are some reasons why:
Our soundtrack
At RJI, music is more than just a background element—it's a core part of our work. Music helps create safe, joyful, and reflective spaces in our restorative circles and workshops. We’re excited to launch our own playlist of music that inspires social change!
Add to this list, play these songs, turn up the volume, and sing at the top of your lungs.
Make an impact
As you know, Reimagine Justice Illinois launched earlier this year with a renewed focus on integrating social and emotional competency development and restorative practices. The demand for our services continues to grow, and we’re committed to expanding our reach to ensure no one is left behind.