Leuven in Winter

4th Winter Academy 2026

2nd - 6th February 2026, Leuven (BE) 

The 2026 Winter Academy of the European Forum for Restorative Justice takes place between 2 - 6 February 2026 in Leuven (Belgium) offering two practice-oriented courses. 
The event creates an international learning opportunity for those interested in restorative justice and its high-quality applications in different contexts. 
It includes two parallel courses led by experienced trainers. These courses invite participants to develop and strengthen their skills, get a hands-on experience of good practices, to get challenged by complex questions, and inspired by innovative and nuanced methods. The event also offers common learning activities for the participants of all courses to allow cross-disciplinary exchange and shared learning experience. 

Date

Start
End

Address

KU Leuven De Valk 3 - Tiensestraat 41
3000 Leuven
Belgium

Leuven in Winter

The courses

A) Advanced Restorative Justice Skills: A Focus on Victim-Offender Mediation (with trainer Bie Vanseveren)

B) Just how do you create a relational and restorative school? (with trainer Chris Straker)

Early bird registration is available until the 11th of December 2025. The registration closes completely on the 27th of January, 2026 (or in the case of a full house). 

restorative justice process plan

Advanced Restorative Justice Skills: A Focus on Victim-Offender Mediation

This course offers participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding and practice of restorative justice facilitation, with particular emphasis on the victim–offender mediation framework. 

cfj

Just how do you create a relational and restorative school?

Participants of this course will learn about the principles of restorative and relational education, learn methods and practice skills that stimulate change in school context, explore ways of addressing challenges, and discover practical restorative-oriented steps available to them in their own environment.

Schedule

 

 2 February Monday3 February Tuesday4 February Wednesday5 February Thursday6 February Friday
9:00 — 10:00 WorkshopWorkshopWorkshopWorkshop
10:00 - 10:30
10:30 - 11:00coffee breakcoffee breakcoffee breakcoffee break
11:00 — 12:30WorkshopWorkshopworkshopClosing plenary activity
12:30 - 13:30Lunch breakLunch break 12:45 - Lunch break  
13:30 - 14:30RegistrationWorkshopStudy visit / WorkshopWorkshop
14:30 -15:00Opening plenary activity (1)
15:00 -  15:30 coffee breakcoffee breakcoffee break

15:30 - 17:00 

 

WorkshopWorkshop / Guest talkStudy visit / Guest talkPlenary activity
     
Evening programme  19:45 - 22:00 pm - Social dinner 

Participation Fee

Please note that for the 2026 edition, the participation fee does not include accommodation. Participants are responsible to arrange their own accommodation in Leuven (see Accommodation Tips below for more information). 

Fees 

 Early bird 
(until 11th of December 2025)		Full price
Basic fee565 €645 €
Discounted fee for EFRJ members*465 €545 €

*To get the members' discount please make sure to login to our website with your account associated with the membership before registering for the course! If you do not have a login yet, please get in touch with us first to set up your account! 

Partial waivers of the fee

Is the participation fee a barrier for you to participate? We can offer a limited number of partial waivers of the fee. If you would like apply for these please fill in this application form by the 5th of December 2025. The applications will be reviewed after that, and responses will be sent by the 11th of December evening. 

What is included in the registration fee? 

  • Participation in the course you have selected, the plenary learning activities for participants of the two parallel courses
  • 3 lunch meals (on 3rd, 4th, & 5th of February), 1 dinner (on 4th February), and coffee breaks each day
  • Welcome package

Cancellation Policy 

If you cancel your participation before the 11th of December 2025, you get 70% refund of your subscription fee. If you need to cancel after the 11th of December 2025, your participation for a 'vis major' reason (including illness), and you can provide a proof of this, you may get a voucher for another EFRJ event in the future in the value of maximum 50% of your registration price. In other cases, we unfortunately cannot refund your registration fee. 
You may transfer your registration to another participant without any costs until the 27th of January 2026. 

A possibility to support your attendance: check if you are eligible for the Erasmus+ mobility programme on training opportunities. These are available to staff working in education, both in teaching and non-teaching capacities. Training periods abroad can consist of job shadowing, observation periods or specific training courses abroad. https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/staff-training
In this case the EFRJ would be a receiving institution (not responsible for reporting). Higher education institutions must have been awarded the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) before applying for a mobility project to their Erasmus+ National Agency. A call for proposals for the award of an ECHE is held on yearly basis. The ECHE is awarded for the full duration of the Erasmus+ programme up to 2027. 

Accommodation Tips

Leuven offers a variety accommodations. Please use the search and booking sites to find the most suitable for you. However, here are some tips: 

For a smaller budget: 

European Forum for Restorative Justice vzw  
Herbert Hooverplein 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium  
+32 466209112 / info@euforumrj.org  
Company number: 0474 656 137  
Register of legal entities (Rechtspersonenregister): RPR Leuven

This page has been created with the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Union

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