
The European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ) co-organises with WELCOME (Italy) an international training programme on restorative justice, organised within the framework of the Erasmus+ project “KINTSUGI – Exchange of European Good Practices on Restorative Justice“.
The 90-hour training programme, divided over 3 weeks time spread in 1,5 year, take place in Belfast (UK), Rome (Italy) and Namur (Belgium). The training bring together 25 participants from these different countries, working in the field of restorative justice, probation, victim support and related areas.
The kick off meeting was held on the 31 October 2018 in Pisa organised by WELCOME.
The first training was on 8-12 April 2019 in Belfast. Around the main theme “Restorative communities”, senior trainers and RJ facilitators Hugh Campbell and Tim Chapman (chair of the EFRJ Board) presented on theories, practices and actual experiences on the use of restorative approaches in cases of political violence, with a particular focus on the post-conflict Northern Irish society.
The second training was on 21-25 October in Rome. The training started with an introduction on restorative practices in Italy and focused on theories and practices on the concept of humanistic mediation. The training was provided by the staff of Sponde, an restorative organisation based in Palermo, with offices in Rome too, member also of the EFRJ Working Group on Restorative Cities.
The third training is scheduled on 27-29 October 2020 online. This training was originally planned in March 2020 in Namur, postponed because of the Covid-19 sanitary crisis. It will be delivered in 3 mornings by Mediante and Arperge, two restorative justice services in Wallonia, respectively working with adults and children in the criminal justice system.
At the end of the 2-year project, the EFRJ was supposed to organise the final conference in Leuven or Sassari before September 2020. This initiative has been postponed to a fully online event, due to Covid-19. The final event includes 4 pre-recorded videos, to be launched during the international Restorative Justice Week in November, followed by a live Q&A with an open public and a closed event for the KINTSUGI participants only (27 November 2020, 10-12am CET). Register here!