EFRJ Committees & Working Groups: Call for Members 2022

Currently, in Summer 2022, more than 100 EFRJ members are engaged in 4 Committees and 6 Working Groups. This means that at least 1 out of 4 members is actively committed to support the work of the EFRJ in its long-lasting objectives (Editorial Committee; Training Committee; Values and Standards Committee; Research Committee) and in its thematic initiatives in specific areas of application for restorative justice (Working Groups on Restorative Cities; Violent Extremism; Restorative Schools; Restorative Environmental Justice; Gender-Based Violence; Institutions). 

We are thankful for the enthusiasm and commitment of our members, because in this way the EFRJ Secretariat (composed only by 4 full-time equivalents!) is constantly in touch with the needs coming from the field and is better prepared to respond to its main goal to further promote access to high quality restorative justice in Europe, and beyond.

Here you find 2 calls:

1. to find new members to existing Committees (and renew the commitment of existing members who wish to continue their work), and
2. to re-launch the topics of existing Working Groups whose mandates are coming to an end and/or to propose new Working Groups in other areas.

Keep in mind that the EFRJ Secretariat cannot follow up the work of more than 10-12 groups, thus it is possible that not all proposals will be considered at this stage. No worries though: this call is re-launched every two years!

The deadline to apply to both calls is 30 September 2022.

At the Annual General Meeting 2022 (Sassari, 22 June), we published an internal document attempting to respond the frequently asked questions about the aims, responsibilities, establishment and closure of EFRJ Committees and Working Groups. Click here to download the pdf. Keep in mind that this document is not binding, but it is meant to serve as a guideline for transparency and clarity: indeed, we invite members involved in the different Committees and Working Groups to find their best working way within their groups.

Below you find a little summary of this document:

Composed by 5-12 members (with 2-years mandate, renewable, selected with biography and motivation) plus one Board member and one Secretariat member, proposing a concrete 2-years’ work plan by the 4th meeting (in case of a request to extend the mandate, a new plan is needed).

Individual members can be involved in maximum 2 Committees/ Working Groups; organisational members can delegate different persons without limits. Their Chair and vice-Chair is chosen among and by the Committee/ Working Group members (in the first 4 meetings, this role is taken over by the two proposers).

You can join the EFRJ membership now: the official approval of your membership will happen at the next Annual General Meeting (June 2023) but you can already now benefit of all advantages of being a EFRJ member, including applying for this call!

Depending on your field of expertise, you can apply until 30 September 2022. Please note that individual members can engage in maximum 2 Committees/ Working Groups; organisational members can appoint different persons among their employees with no limits. To apply, you need to be a member of the EFRJ, either as an individual or as an organisation.

The webform includes different calls:

1.  Call for members to join the existing Committees (Editorial Committee; Training Committee; Values and Standards Committee; Research Committee). If you are already a member of one of these Committees, please re-submit your expression of interest to be part of this group for the next 2 years! Members will be selected based on their experience, profession, motivation to participate, and country representation.
2. Call for establishing new Working Groups, or for re-launching existing ones whose 2 years mandate is ending soon. The Working Groups whose mandate came/ comes to an end (between June and December 2022) are: Restorative Cities; Violent Extremism; Restorative Schools; Restorative Environmental Justice; Gender-Based Violence. In this case, gather at least 2 EFRJ members from different countries (see membership directory) interested to (re-)initiate a thematic Working Group by sending a 400-500 words expression of interest (including the reasons for focusing on this topic, the main objectives of the WG and some potential activities you wish to work on in the next two years, also in bullet points). In case your proposed topic fits a long-lasting objective of the EFRJ, your application may be considered to establish a Committee, instead of a Working Group. Proposals will be selected based on the expression of interest and capacity of the EFRJ Secretariat to follow up (max 10-12 Working Groups/ Committees at the same time). As a second step, a call for members will be launched by half October to announce the establishment of the Working Groups, invite EFRJ members to join them for 2 years and finalise their composition by end November.