Stories told during a June 17 Restorative Justice (RJ) symposium provided a window into the ways participants in the School of Medicine's Restorative Justice Pilot Program have used RJ to improve connection and well-being in their academic environments. Twenty-eight faculty and staff from seven School of Medicine units participated in the year-long pilot program that blended intensive classroom learning with hands-on application and peer support.
Restorative Justice (RJ) is an ethical framework that focuses on building community and resolving conflict through shared values of respect, accountability, and compassion. Applied in an organizational setting, the continuum of restorative practices can facilitate an environment to sustain relationships, maintain collective and individual accountability, repair damage caused by harmful behaviors, and ultimately improve workplace culture. Program participants incorporated restorative practices into team-building, advising, training, and workplace culture initiatives, among other applications.
Early evaluation data presented at the symposium demonstrated strong effectiveness of the RJ training component, and explored the ways practicing RJ can transform individuals and culture.
More details about the program and recordings from the symposium are available at https://duke.is/SOMRJ.