TRAININGS
We offer trainings in Restorative Justice, Trauma Healing, Facilitation and Restorative Approaches to Intimate Violence and Sexual Harm. We welcome requests from community groups, universities, prisons, or organizations to create a workshop that is specific to your locale. If we cannot do it ourselves we will do our best to refer you to someone who can. Below are examples of the types of trainings we have offered in the past. We will post upcoming trainings that are open to the public here and information will be sent out through our periodic newsletter.
PRESENT OFFERINGS
In-Prison Programs Facilitator Training
Facilitated by Alba Contreras, Richard Cruz and Parker Chamberlin
Dates: May 19th-21st, 2023 | Fri/Sat: 9am-5pm, Sun: 9am-3:30pm
Location: Fresno, CA & Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, CA (in person)
Description: We are happy to announce that we are hosting a three day training for people who are interested in becoming facilitators in our in-prison programs (go here to find a more thorough description of our work inside four northern California prisons). While this training is predominantly to grow our facilitator team, we will make a few training slots available for people looking to be in-prison program facilitators through organizations in our broader community. We have a capacity for 25 participants. For any questions, please contact the in-prison program manager, Alba Contreras, at alba@ahimsacollective.net.
Cost: The cost to host this training is $225 per person. Following a gift economics model, we ask that if you can pay between $1-$225, that you make the commitment to contribute to the cost of the training. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Please note: We are no longer taking applications at this time.
PAST TRAININGS
2021
Urban Institute - Home After Harm Evaluation Training
Facilitated by Richard Cruz, London Croudy, & Rasheed Stanley-Lockheart
Dates: December 16 & 17, 2021
Location: Oakland, CA
This training is led by formerly incarcerated staff for researchers coming into prisons. It is intended to build awareness of power and cultural dynamics, for white and other researchers evaluating communities of color and people in prison, Other topics include understanding the culture of prison, generalizations of incarcerated people, and building a practice of valuing experience over expertise, and developing trust as a researcher.
Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) Facilitator Training in Chicago
Facilitated by Martina Lutz Schneider and Bonnie Wills in Partnership with Adler University Institute of Public Safety and Social Justice.
Dates: October 26-29, 2021
Location: Chicago, IL
This four day training was designed to support RJ community organization to develop a Victim Offender Dialogue Program and an Accountability/Apology Letter Bank in Illinois and to train people from multiple organizations to facilitate Victim Offender Dialogues in Illinois. A VOD is a well prepared and fully facilitated, confidential face-to-face meeting between the person harmed and the person responsible for the harm. It is victim/survivor centered while considering the needs of the people responsible for the harm.
Facilitator Training: Facilitating a Deeper Process
Facilitated by Richard Cruz & sonya shah
Dates: August 26 & 27 and September 4 & 5, 2021
Location: Oakland, CA
We offered two separate, two-day facilitator training sessions for facilitators new to running groups inside prison. This was an experiential training on how to create and facilitate groups in prison to deeply explore trauma, accountability, shame, and healing.
Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) Facilitator Training Baltimore
Facilitated by Martina Lutz Schneider and Bonnie Wills in Partnership with Restorative Response Baltimore
Dates: April 22, 23, & 30, 2021
Location: Zoom
This three day training was designed for those who wish to facilitate Victim Offender Dialogues. or VODs in Baltimore as part of the VOD Program development through the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City.
A VOD is a well prepared and fully facilitated, confidential face-to-face meeting between the person harmed and the person responsible for the harm. It is victim/survivor centered while considering the needs of the people responsible for the harm.
2020
Restorative Justice and Facilitation Practices in ReEntry and the Arts
Facilitated by Richard Cruz, Sonya Shah, Misty Franklin and Miguel Quezada
Dates: September 7 - 8, 2020
Location: Oakland, CA & Zoom
This is a two day introductory workshop exploring restorative justice history, practices and peacemaking as applied to reentry and the Arts. It is for people who:
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Wish to facilitate healing circles with people reentering society after incarceration.
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Are with the Embodiment Project and looking to deepen their restorative approach after a performance.
We’ll spend two days learning together in Oakland, CA and on Zoom. Topics include restorative justice history, facilitation skills, processing in small groups, and learning how to integrate experiential, somatic and creative exercises.
2019
Advanced Restorative Justice Training in the Indian Context
Dates: November 11-16, 2019
Location: Ahmedabad, India
This five day training is an advanced training in Victim Offender Dialog facilitation, diving deep into the relationship between healing and accountability for people who have done harm, and sharing current dialogs and case studies, in order to build a learning community of current restorative justice practitioners across India. This training is by invitation only.
Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) Facilitator Training
Dates: August 19-21, 2019
This three day training is designed for those who wish to facilitate Victim Offender Dialogues. or VODs. A VOD is a well prepared and fully facilitated, confidential face-to-face meeting between the person harmed and the person responsible for the harm. Most VODs take place in California State Prisons. We work in close collaboration with the California State Office of Victim Services (OVSRS) to offer this victim initiated restorative process.
Restorative Approaches to Sexual Harm and the Patriarchy
Facilitated by Sonya Shah, nuri nusrat, Richard Cruz and Alison Espinosa-Setchko
Dates: March 29th-31st | 9:30am - 5:00pm
Location: Columbia School of Social Work, New York. Sponsored by The Center for Justice at Columbia University
In this training, we explored restorative approaches to sexual harm and systems like patriarchy that support it; we’ll share case studies of the dialogues and harm circles we have facilitated; we will explore practices for facilitating healing and accountability with people who have committed severe violence and survivors of it; and how as practitioners we engage with this work in a healthy way. We don’t have all of the answers, we expect this training to allow us collectively to explore the many strategies needed to address sexual harm and the wounds of patriarchy using restorative justice approaches. Our facilitators come from diverse racial and experiential backgrounds that have been impacted in complex and unique ways by systems of oppression, and by sexual violence directly and indirectly. Our commitments to this work are both uniquely personal and deeply political.
2018
Restorative Justice and Peacemaking Practices | Facilitated by Sonya Shah & Guests
Dates: October 20th and 21st, 2018, 9:30am-6:00pm
Location: SF California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)
About the workshop: Restorative Justice and Peacemaking is a paradigm grounded in relationships and a set of practices to address harm, conflict, and strengthen community. It is used in schools, community groups, families, universities, and along the entire continuum of the justice process to address historical harms as well as sexual and domestic violence. It is used by social workers, students, justice advocates, professors, therapists, school teachers, psychologists, community activists, and in every day interpersonal relationships worldwide. This workshop offers experiential learning and application of restorative justice practices and peacemaking paradigm. Learn from cutting edge practitioners in the field and consider how to use restorative justice and peacemaking processes in your work and personal life. If you are interested in reading the original description, please click here.
Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) Training
Dates: May 1st-4th, 2018
In collaboration with Impact Justice. Facilitated by Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Michelle Armor.
A four day training to facilitate Victim Offender Dialogues.
Community Healing Facillitator Training | Facilitated by Bonnie Wills and Kashka Banjoko
Dates: April 20th-22nd, 2018
A three day training to facilitate Restorative Justice based Healing Circles.
Understanding Restorative Justice in the Indian Context
Dates: Feb 5th to 7th 2018
Location: Environmental Sanitation Institute (ESI) , Sughad, Ahmedabad.
About the workshop: Restorative Justice is a world-view grounded in relationships and a set of practices. It's intention is to heal/address harm, conflict and communication while taking into consideration all levels of causes and conditions that create harm, from structural to the interpersonal. In the 3 day workshop, we hope to deepen our understanding on Restorative Justice (RJ) and its practices, understand the challenges of implementing RJ in India, and discuss how RJ can be adopted in the Indian context.
Restorative Approaches to Intimate Violence
Dates: February 22-25, 2018
Location: Fresno, CA.
In collaboration with COSA Fresno. Four day training in restorative justice and trauma healing in prisons.
2017
Facilitating Group Process for Healing and Accountability in Prison
Dates: December 17th, 18th, 2017
Location: Framingham, MA.
In collaboration with the Transformational Prison Project. A two day workshop at Framingham Prison for Women.
Trauma Education Training for Law Enforcement
Dates: December 19th, 20th, 2017
Location: Massachusetts.
In collaboration with the Transformational Prison Project.
Restorative Justice and Peacemaking Practices
Last held: September 30 - October 1, 2017. See 2018 dates above.
About the workshop: A two day introductory workshop exploring restorative justice practices and peacemaking as applied to schools, community, family, and the justice continuum. In collaboration with California Institute of Integral Studies and Restorative Justice Practitioners in Oakland (RJOY, Impact Justice, Canticle Farms, Asian Prisoners Support Committee and others). Click here to see the original description of this event.