2024 Annual Report

We are living in increasingly divisive times. It is difficult for people across identities and across the political spectrum to hear each other out. Sometimes this is true within families, between generations. We need to learn to listen; to listen deeply and to listen to understand. Even when we understand another person’s perspective, we may not agree with their conclusion, but we can respectfully agree to disagree.

If I had to characterize the emotional tenor of 2024, I would use words like: unease, anxiety, tension, fatigue and despair. Polls indicate that many Americans think the country is going in the wrong direction. And here in New York City, crime, the migrant crisis and the rising cost of living dominate the headlines and have driven people out of the city.

Restorative justice, also known as restorative practices, can help to reverse the trend. Restorative practices (and circles in-particular) provide an opportunity for us to practice building intentional, values-based communities. They invite us to listen to understand, rather than to persuade. In the words of former Restorative Justice Initiative board member Ziedah Diata, “This is how the world gets better.”

In his book, Decolonizing Wealth, Edgar Villanueva writes, “With its focus on connection and belonging, the Indigenous worldview–having persisted against all odds, like Indigenous people themselves–offers inspiration for the way forward.” Rooted in Indigenous communities, restorative justice also offers inspiration for the way forward.

Over the past year at Restorative Justice Initiative, we have distributed countless resources to more than 3800 subscribers and 9,000 social media followers, trained at least 160 practitioners, developed the leadership of a dynamic group of teens and young adults and successfully advocated to preserve and unlock $6.5 in city funding for this work.

That is work we have been doing. In this upcoming year with your support, we will continue to expand our leadership pathway, including continuing to host the popular Citywide Roundtables on Restorative Approaches and to offer our sought-after cohort-based training, and we will establish a Board of Partners to formalize our community-informed approach.

We invite you to read our full Annual Report on our website!