Call for proposals - Poznań 2026

The European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) invites you to take an active role in shaping the programme of its upcoming conference. Known for encouraging dialogue among a wide range of professionals (including researchers, practitioners, policymakers, activists, artists, people with lived experience and students), the EFRJ conference offers a unique platform to explore, challenge, and co-create restorative justice in diverse contexts and across borders.

We are now accepting workshop proposals and presentation ideas that reflect the diversity, creativity, and collaborative spirit of the global restorative justice movement. Proposals should align with one of the 3 anchoring themes of this conference:

1. From Lived Experience to Evidence - Exploring how to translate restorative justice lived experiences into meaningful research and evidence that drive systemic and policy change.
2. From Innovation to Public Influence - Examining how innovative practices and communication strategies are reshaping restorative justice and expanding its reach and impact.
3. From Practice to Systemic Change - Investigating how restorative justice principles are being integrated into institutions and systems, and whether they drive genuine transformation or limited reform.

To ensure dynamic and impactful sessions, priority will be given to proposals that:

• Encourage active participation, dialogue, and collaboration, rather than traditional lecture-style formats;
• Embrace diversity and inclusion through both the content and the delivery format;
• Showcase innovative models, cross-sectoral methods, international and cross-cultural perspectives, or critical reflections about restorative justice;
• Feature multiple contributors from diverse backgrounds, encouraging dialogue between theory, practice, policy, and lived experience.

The conference will be structured around 3 anchoring themes that will guide the reflections and discussions of the plenaries and parallel workshop sessions.

1. From Lived Experience to Evidence

Restorative justice begins with people: those harmed, those who caused harm, their closed networks, communities at large, and restorative practitioners. How do we translate these deeply personal experiences into credible, ethical, and useful forms of evidence, without flattening their complexity or compromising restorative justice values? This theme explores how data collection and evaluation can reflect the heart of restorative justice while informing cultural and systemic change. Guiding questions:

• What changes does restorative justice make in people’s lives, how do we honour those stories in research and evaluation, and whose voices are we listening to?
• What methods of research and evaluation align with restorative values (e.g. narrative, participatory, qualitative, or mixed methods)?
• How can we measure what matters most, without compromising the meaning or complexity of restorative justice experiences?
• What can we learn from failure, dissatisfaction, and exclusion in restorative justice practice?
• How can we avoid over-promising the impact of restorative justice on society or institutions, while recognising the change it facilitates through individuals?
• Which types of restorative justice evidence or narratives influence policymakers, funders and/or the general public, and promote change?

2. From Innovation to Public Influence

Restorative justice continues to evolve, adapting to new contexts, embracing innovative methods and emerging technologies, and reimagining how its core values are practised, taught, and shared. Yet its future depends not only on how it is implemented, but also on how its meaning and impact are communicated to diverse audiences. This theme looks at how restorative justice is evolving in practice (from digital formats and culturally responsive approaches to new pedagogies, standards, and training models) and how stories, strategy, and innovation shape its public presence and influence. Guiding questions:

• What innovations are reshaping restorative justice practice today (e.g. child participation, cross-border cases, multilingual practices, hybrid settings)?
• How are emerging technologies transforming the facilitation, accessibility, and scalability of restorative justice processes (e.g. AI)?
• How does the professionalisation and standardisation of restorative justice practice impact its ability to remain flexible and responsive to individual needs?
• What strategies can effectively connect restorative justice practice implementation with broader public understanding and acceptance (e.g. community-led events, advocacy campaigns)?
• In what ways can restorative practitioners collaborate with media and communication professionals to shape positive public discourse?

3. From Practice to Systemic Change

Restorative justice often begins with dialogue, but it aspires to broader transformation. It holds the potential to shape not only interpersonal relationships, but also the institutions, policies, and cultures that structure our societies. This theme explores how restorative (justice) principles are being embedded (or resisted) within systems such as justice, education, governance, and civil society. It invites reflection on the difference between improving existing systems and creating truly transformative alternatives. Guiding questions:

• How is restorative justice being implemented (or resisted) in systems like criminal justice, education, governance, or healthcare? 
• What does a truly restorative institution or community look like in practice? Is restorative justice offering genuine alternatives, or simply softening existing systems?
• What risks arise when systems reshape restorative justice more than restorative justice reshapes them?
• What roles do advocacy, legislation, research, and funding play in scaling restorative justice without compromising its values?
• How might restorative justice unintentionally reinforce power imbalances or reproduce existing hierarchies and inequalities?
• How do we ensure systemic change remains grounded in respectful and inclusive practice and stays true to restorative values?

• The deadline for submissions is 10 December 2025. We cannot guarantee a deadline extension, so please ensure you submit your proposal by the deadline.
• All presenters must register and pay the conference participation fee. Registration (including fee waivers) opens in January 2026.
• Each workshop session will last 50 or 80 minutes, with an additional 10-minute buffer to allow participants to move between sessions. Each individual presentation will last 20 minutes and will be grouped with others under a shared theme to form a cohesive session.
• The proposal must be prepared in a Word document and uploaded via this webform. Use UK English, avoid first-person (“I” or “we”) and acronyms or jargon, and ensure correct spelling and grammar. Make the abstract concise, informative, and appealing, highlighting the benefits for participants and what makes your session unique.

We invite you to contribute to the conference programme by choosing one of the following formats, each offering a unique way to share knowledge, engage the audience, and inspire collaboration.

Expert Panel (50-80 min)

• What it is: A structured conversation among 3+ experts from different backgrounds, institutions, or approaches.
• Why choose this: To explore a complex issue in depth through diverse perspectives.
• Audience role: Listen, reflect, and engage during Q&A.
• Examples: Policy debates, cross-sector insights, comparative practices, research findings.

Skills Lab (80 min)

• What it is: A hands-on workshop to teach practical methods, tools, or approaches (e.g. in restorative facilitation, training, teaching, research, advocacy, policy work).
• Why choose this: To help participants gain new skills grounded in practical experience.
• Audience role: Practice, apply, and reflect on new methods.
• Examples: Dialogue facilitation methods, narrative interview techniques, awareness campaign planning.

Participatory Dialogue (50-80 min)

• What it is: A co-created discussion led by 1–2 facilitators, where the audience is actively involved throughout.
• Why choose this: To gather ideas, reflect together, and spark collaborative thinking.
• Audience role: Shape, drive and co-create the conversation.
• Examples: Community dilemmas, values exploration, peer feedback spaces.

Testimonials (50-80 min)

• What it is: A facilitated space where people with lived experience share personal stories connected to restorative justice (e.g. harm, repair, dialogue, resilience) in different formats (e.g. human libraries, storytelling circles, testimony-based dialogue). 
• Why choose this: To share an individual or group journey in a respectful, held space and to build understanding, empathy, or transformation.
• Audience role: Listen deeply, empathise, reflect, and engage in dialogue with storytellers (when invited).
• Examples: Survivor stories, practitioner journeys, life-changing moments.

Presentation (20 min)

• What it is: A short presentation by 1–2 speakers of a research project, case study, or initiative, highlighting 2-3 key messages and/or questions for reflection.
• Why choose this: To share findings, lessons learned, new ideas, or practices with peers.
• Audience role: Listen, question, connect ideas and spark further discussion.
• Examples: Pilot programmes, emerging practices, evaluation results, field challenges, research findings, new policies, early-stage ideas.

Poster Exhibition

• What it is: A visual summary of your project, study, or concept, displayed throughout the 3-day event, including catching title, background information, methods, results, key questions, images or graphics, and contact details of the authors.
• Why choose this: To reach attendees informally and generate follow-up conversations.
• Audience role: Explore, inquire, and network with presenters.
• Examples: A2 poster or creative mix of printed materials (e.g. flyers, postcards, magazines) fitting within the A2 display place.

Creative & Out-of-the-Box 

• What it is: Any original format, including objectives, methods, setup needs, and duration in the proposal.
• Why choose this: To innovate in how we connect and share and explore the proposed theme in a unique way.
• Audience role: Depends on the format, experience, interact, and reflect through alternative formats.
• Examples: film screening, walk & talk, game, performance, art installation, movement practice.

Please prepare your proposal in a Word document and copy-paste your responses into the webform below. It will ask for this information:

• Personal contact details (name, job title, organisation, email, country), including emails of potential co-authors
• Title of your proposal (max 15 words)
• Main area (e.g. practice, policy, research), target audience (e.g. people with lived experience, practitioners, academics), and preferred format (e.g. expert panel, skills lab, participatory dialogue, presentation) and time of the contribution (20-50-80 min)
• Full abstract, including main key-messages/ key-questions and a detailed description of the session in terms of interaction with the audience, to convince the Programme Committee about the relevance of your contribution (max 400 words for internal use)
• Abstract’s summary to convince participants to attend your workshop (max 150 words for the the booklet, if the proposal is accepted) 
• Biography of the presenter(s) (max 50 words each)
• Keywords that describe your workshop/ presentation/ poster

All proposals will be carefully reviewed by our Programme Committee, which brings together EFRJ staff (Secretariat and Board) and EFRJ members (local hosts and event organisers). The goal of this selection procedure is to ensure that the conference programme reflects the richness and diversity of our global restorative justice community.

We will inform all proposers of the selection outcome within 6 weeks after the submission deadline (end January 2026). Proposers may be invited to review and fine-tune their proposal based on the feedback of the Programme Committee. This is part of our collaborative approach to co-creating and making the programme as engaging and impactful as possible.

When making selections, we look for proposals that are high-quality, connect clearly to the conference themes, and contribute to a balanced programme in terms of geographical representation, professional background, and perspectives.

We warmly encourage proposals from both experienced and first-time presenters: if your work sparks curiosity, dialogue, or reflection, it has definitely a place in our conference programme!