Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice

Restorative Justice: Theory and Practice

This half-day event delves into the world of restorative (and transformative) justice!

Join us at artfarm for an exploration of the theory and practice behind this transformative approach to grappling with conflict, abuse, and harm with community, not carceral responses. Discover how restorative justice focuses on healing and repairing harm and fostering accountability and growth, rather than punishment. Engage in discussions and workshop activities led by a mix of experts and local practitioners.

Topics include: differences between transformative and restorative justice (and the value of each), airing “Dirty Laundry”, and Interpersonal Conflict.”

Whether you're new to the concept or a seasoned practitioner, this event offers something for everyone interested in fostering peace and community through restorative justice. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to learn and connect with like-minded individuals!

A lunch break and potluck lunch will be provided. Please bring something to share if you are able!

Presenters

Ellen Parks (she/they) is a student, educator, and community organizer who aims to learn from and work alongside folks closest to injustice in the struggle towards our freedom from oppression. Ellen has previously worked with youth being pushed out of schools to support them to lead restorative justice practices and address their own oppression within public schools, in addition to supporting adults within schools to engage humanizing, trauma-informed approaches to education. They are currently studying the community organizing strategies, liberatory pedagogy, and political economy to understand how we can continue to work towards collective liberation and reparative justice at the local scale by learning from liberation movements across time and space, aiming to recognize our shared oppression and common humanity and to encourage revolutionary hope and solidarity across lines of difference.

Nick Lyell (he/they) is an artist and organizer and founding member of the artist collective Solarpunk Surf Club emplaced in Lexington, KY. His work explores power relationships, utopian realism, and moral inclusion — seeking to find the ways in which our relationships, language, and the stories we tell ourselves can limit or expand the scope of political possibility. Nick helped found artfarm and the Lexington Tool Library. He has directed, produced, and edited several award-winning fiction and non-fiction films including False Alarm, Sirius Lee, The Zeke Sanders Story, E: The Film, and others. Nick’s films have been part of official selections at film festivals across the United States and the World, including the Rhode Island International Film Festival, DocFest, AfroComiCon, Black X Film Fest, DC Black Film Festival, the North Carolina Environmental Film Festival, and the Hollywood New Directors Film Festival.