RJ Community of Practice

What is a Community of Practice?

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly". A community of practice is not merely a community of interest—people who like certain kinds of movies, for instance. Members of a community of practice develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems—in short a shared practice.

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What is the benefit of me being a part of the CoP?  

A good conversation with a stranger on an airplane may give you all sorts of interesting insights, but it does not in itself make for a community of practice. By contrast, RJ practitioners who meet regularly by circling together may come to realize that their lunch discussions are one of their main sources of knowledge about how to care for themselves and their clients, and in the course of all these conversations, they have developed a set of stories and cases that become a shared repertoire for them to think about and discuss new cases.

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What do we do when we meet?

The underlying belief is that becoming an effective restorative practitioner is a lifelong process that requires practice, feedback, and reflection. The atmosphere is collaborative rather than evaluative. Members are encouraged to be honest about what went well, what was difficult, and where they are still learning.

Each meeting includes a focused area for skill development. Members discuss practical strategies and share examples from their own work. After our first circle, we will decide together what topics we want to discuss at the next circle.

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When do we meet?

We come together in a ZOOM conference on the third Friday of each month from noon - 1pm. There is no cost to participate. Please join us!

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Examples include:

• Why we circle

• Powerful opening questions

• Preparing participants for success

• Managing strong emotions in circles

• Working with resistant participants

• Balancing neutrality and compassion

• Restorative responses to power imbalances

• Closing circles effectively

• Ethical dilemmas

• Addressing facilitator bias

• Facilitator self-care