Center for Restorative Approaches

The Center for Restorative Approaches (CRA) provides schools, the criminal legal system, workplaces, and other communities with training, consulting, and facilitation of dialogue circles that improve communication, build relationships, reduce violence, and allow those most impacted by conflict and wrongdoing to develop their own solutions for justice and well-being.

In 2008, the CRA was founded to foster healing, amplify resident voices, and ensure equitable involvement in rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. In partnership with neighborhood residents and advocacy groups, CRA began work to stem the school-to-prison pipeline. As an alternative to harmful discipline practices, CRA offered schools restorative dialogue circles and staff education on relationship building and conflict resolution.

As a result, suspensions and violent incidences were reduced by as much as 75%, and school staff, students, and families reported high satisfaction with participating in restorative processes. CRA's work has since expanded from this school-based initiative to offer over 1,300 restorative dialogue circles and educate thousands of people on ways of interacting that proactively nurture healthy relationships and an obligation to community to prevent destructive conflict and collaboratively address harmful behavior.

Over the past three years, CRA has expanded our work to include anti-racism and restorative workplace training. Restorative approaches focus on relationships, agency, and healing - all of which provide a critical foundation to increase our capacity to actively work towards racial justice. Additionally, the philosophies and tools of restorative approaches enhances interpersonal skills and shifts organizational culture by providing a framework for community building, collaboration, problem solving, and well-being. Creating restorative workplaces with a sustainable commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice promotes systemic change and impacts the broader community as these employees apply restorative approaches to their everyday lives at home and in their neighborhood.

CRA helps people uncover their natural ability to respond to destructive behavior in constructive ways. Our staff and volunteers are committed to making restorative approaches possible because we believe in creating stronger, safer, more connected, and inclusive communities where people interact with empathy and support each other in being accountable to the collective good.

TRAINING
We offer trainings in a wide variety of settings including on-site training for businesses, public agencies, and schools as well as city-wide training for individuals and neighborhood leaders. Our trainings include:
- Addressing Racism Together (A.R.T.)
- Introduction to Restorative Approaches
- Facilitating Restorative Circles
- Implicit Bias

CIRCLES
CRA facilitators provide both community-building and restorative dialogue circles. A restorative dialogue circle brings together those affected by a conflict or wrongdoing to speak about what happened, how they have been affected, and to decide collaboratively how to repair the harm that has occurred as an alternative to a punitive consequence.

ADDRESSING RACISM TOGETHER (A.R.T.)
This training uses art as, not only, a provocateur of dialogue and action, but also as a vehicle to help us see, feel, and reflect in ways that encourage connection, learning, healing, and change. Because community building is critical to the establishment of the trust needed to engage in honest and healthy conversations about racism, A.R.T. provides opportunities to build and strengthen relationships between participants throughout the dialogue process.

SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS
CRA partners with schools in the greater New Orleans area to incorporate restorative approaches into their school community. We offer targeted coaching and training to equip the entire staff with the restorative communication skills they need to offer students and their families safer, more connected, and inclusive schools. Overtime the consistent use of restorative approaches help students to develop relationship-building and conflict resolution skills; feel connected to the school community; and understand the impact of their actions on themselves and others.

WORKPLACE PARTNERSHIPS
CRA provides professional development and consulting services that offer workplaces the tools and skills to build productive relationships and ensure that conflict can be resolved in constructive ways. Our team works alongside businesses to design an implementation process that will drive sustainable systemic-level change. This includes devising policies that encourage inclusion and keep equity as a central tenant in the workplace.

Testimonials

"Since 2008, CRA has been the leader in bringing restorative approaches to the greater New Orleans community...