Restorative Circles

Traduction en cours : Cercles Restauratifs/Notes.

Source : Notes on Restorative Circles 5-24-11

Notes on Restorative Circles
For Use in Semi-Simulated Circle Practice

Restorative Circles began with the work of Dominic Barter in Rio de Janeiro in the mid-1990s and continues with a growing community both in Brazil and internationally. Learn more at http://www.restorativecircles.org. The following has been prepared for use in semi-simulated circles by Sylvia Clute and Jim Mustin based on their understanding of Dominic’s process.

A Restorative Circle is a community process for supporting people in conflict. It brings together three parties to a conflict: the Author/s (who did the thing identified as the act), the Receiver/s (who has been directly impacted by it) and the Community Member/s (who have been indirectly impacted by it and who are part of the context in which the act took place), to talk and listen to each other as equals. Participants invite each other and attend voluntarily. The Restorative Circle is shared openly with all participants, and guided by a community member, a Facilitator.

Restorative Circles are facilitated in 3 stages designed to:

1) identify the key factors in the conflict

2) reach agreements on next steps

3) evaluate the results

Definitions

Restorative Community: a group of people who have agreed to handle conflicts using the Restorative Circle process.

Facilitator: A Community Member who identifies him/herself as impacted by the conflict at hand and commits to serving the emergent wisdom of the participants through his/her willingness to offer agreed upon questions and to track the co-creation of meaning and action by those present.

Initiator: The person who first asks for a Restorative Circle to be held about a conflict.

The Act: The action that the Initiator brings to the Circle.

Pre-Circle: The Facilitator contacts each participant, the act is identified, the meaning the Act has to each participant is explored, other people who need to be present are identified and each participant is asked whether they want to proceed with the Circle.

Facilitator Pre-Circle: Preparing and supporting a Facilitator to undertake a Circle.

Restorative Circle: Guided by questions from the Facilitator, participants talk and listen to one another. They strive to reach a Mutual Understanding of the conflict, take Self Responsibility and identify Agreed Actions to address the situation.

Post-Circle: Meeting to see if the Agreed Actions are accomplished and how members of the Circle are affected by this.

Semi-simulated Circle: The primary method of learning to facilitate Restorative Circles. A Facilitator practices the Restorative Circle process using the real problem of a volunteer. Other members of the Semi-Simulated Circle are role-played. Semi-Simulated Circle practice ends when time is up or the stage of Self Responsibility is completed.

Questions for Facilitators of Restorative Circles

I. Pre-Circle:

Questions for the Initiator of the Circle:

To begin, ask the person/s to identify the Act:

1. “What was said or done that you’d like to bring to a Restorative Circle?”

Have the person/s distill the Act down to one concise identifiable event described as a non-judgmental statement of fact.

Then pose a question to identify the underlying needs and values stimulated in the speaker by the Act, and his or her feelings, thoughts and images, such as:

2. “What is the meaning this has for you?”

If needed, the Facilitator asks a clarifying question to check her understanding, such as:

“Does this keep you from being able to __________, and does this makes you feel _________?

3. Ask: “Who else needs to be there?” If needed, get contact information.

4. Review the process offered: the basic stages, the dialogue that will occur, and the key principles of the process.

I. Restorative Circle:

Stage One, Mutual Comprehension

Stage Two, Self Responsibility

. Stage Three, Agreed Action

II. The Post Circle

5. Tell the Initiator that the Circle and the Post-Circle are community spaces, open to those impacted by the Act and who are moved to be there.

6. Ask: “Would you like to go ahead with the process?”

Secure consent to proceed before continuing to set up the Circle.

End with a final statement. If the Initiator is the Receiver or a Community Member, say:

7 A. “In the Circle, you will be asked, ‘At the time you were impacted by the Act, what was it that you were looking for?

If the Initiator is the Author, ask:

7 B. “In the Circle, you will be asked, ‘At the moment you chose to act, what was it that you were looking for?’

To the people identified as being needed for the Circle process who agree to participate:

1. “What was said or done that is calling you to this Restorative Circle?”

3. “Who else needs to be included in the Circle? (If needed, get contact information.)

4. Review the process offered: the basic stages, the dialogue that will occur, and the key principles of the process.

5. Inform each person that the Circle and the Post-Circle are community spaces, open to those impacted by the Act and who are moved to be there.

6. Ask: “Would you like to go ahead with the process?”

Secure consent to proceed before including them in the Circle process.

7. “In the Circle, you will be asked, ‘At the time you were impacted by the Act, what was it that you were looking for?’

Or to the Author: “At the time you chose to act, what was it that you were looking for?’

­II. Facilitator Pre-Circle:

The supporter asks the Facilitator:

'1. “What is coming up for you around the Circle that you are working with at 'the moment?” or

“As you look at the steps you are going to take, is there anything that comes up for you for which you would like support?”

When an obstacle is identified, the Facilitator is asked:

2. “Do you know what you want to do to get support for this?” or

“Who else needs to be there to support you through this obstacle?”

3. “Do you want to go ahead?”

III. Restorative Circle:

Stage One: Mutual Understanding

The Facilitator opens by describing the process and distributing copies of the guiding questions. (If people don’t know each other, it may begin with introductions.)

The Facilitator then asks, perhaps to the person who seems to be in the most pain (because until he/she feels heard, it may be difficult to hear others) this question:

1. “What would you like known, and by whom, about how you are right now in relation to the Act and its consequences.”

To the one spoken to:

2. “What it is that you heard him say?”

To the person who spoke:

3. “Was that correct? Is there more?”

This is continued until everyone in the Circle has had an opportunity to respond to question No. 1 and it appears that the members understand each other.

Stage Two: Self Responsibility

The Facilitator asks the Author:

1 A. “What would you like known, and by whom, about what you were looking for at the moment you chose to act?”

To the other participants, the Facilitator asks:

1 B. “At the time you were impacted by what the Author did or said, what was it that you were looking for?”

To the one spoken to:

2. “What did you hear?”

Then after this is answered, she says to the speaker,

3. “Was that it? Is there more?”

The Facilitator is tracking to discern if they heard each other, i.e., is looking to understand what they understood.

The participants may take over and begin using the dialogue process without the assistance of the Facilitator, so long as they are sharing meaning on their own.

This stage tends to reveal where the pain is coming from and creates space for it to be experienced. When the moment of experiencing the pain occurs, the Facilitator silently shares the experience.

When the Facilitator hears someone say, “I’m sorry,” she turns to the one spoken to and asks, “What did you hear?” and to the one spoken to, “Was that it?” to see if it is mutually understood as an apology or as something else. An apology is not the end. When a shared understanding about each person's experience in relation to the Act is reached, and the pain has been experienced, this stage is complete.

NOTE: In the Semi-Simulated Circle practice sessions, the practice stops after the Self Responsibility stage is completed.

Stage Three: Agreed Action

The Facilitator asks each participant:

1. “What would you like to see happen next?”

(The question might also be, “What would you like to offer?” or “What would you like to request?”)

The task is to identify the needs which, if met, will lead to mutual benefit and to agree on a plan to meet those needs. The plan should be specific and something that can actually be done by the participants. It should be written down and copies given to each Circle member who wants one.

IV. Post-Circle:

A meeting to follow up on the Agreed Action.

The Facilitator asks each participant:

1. “What would you like known, and by whom, about how you are in relation to the action plans and their consequences?

To the one spoken to:

2. “What it is that you heard him say?”

To the person who spoke:

3. “Was that correct? Is there more?”

The process continues until all concerns about the Agreed Action are addressed.

If needed, a revised Agreed Action plan may be created and another Post-Circle held.