My Hook/Connection for this topic: New USask partnership will use traditional Cree approaches to make communities safer. Nehiyaw Wicihitwin (Cree helping Cree) program is grounded in Cree culture, language, values and beliefs.
Photo of Chief Duane Antoine of Poundmaker First Nation and Prof. Holly Graham. (Photo: Bryan Tootoosis)
Apr 13, 2021
University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Dr. Holly Graham (PhD) has been awarded $2.5 million over five years by Public Safety Canada to implement a crime prevention program using culture as the intervention.
Working with Little Pine and Poundmaker First Nations, the program will provide 10 to 19 year old students and their families the opportunity to utilize a restorative justice program. The program was created with community members as well as the RCMP and is called nehiyaw wicihitwin (Cree helping Cree).
There are going to be seven staff and various components of the program including:
- teaching students traditional Cree culture, language, values and beliefs,
- weekly group workshops in schools and the community to address issues such as alternatives to violence, managing emotions, self-regulation, healthy boundaries, and, conflict management and resolution,
- monthly Cree Elders healing and wellness plan featuring story-based learning and sharing circles to discuss topics like how the justice system has been applied to Indigenous peoples, the 60’s scoop, residential schools, and intergenerational trauma,
- providing youth an opportunity to participate in traditional rites of passage,
- individual counselling for youth and families, and,
- education events on topics such as bullying, gang prevention, and motivational speakers.
Prompts/questions I prepared to help lead the critical conversation:
1. Has anybody had any experience with a system of restorative justice or watched a video of it in action? What was your experience? What were your thoughts?
3. “…if a classroom uses restitution, discipline becomes a non-issue because they are managing themselves.” How realistic do you think this will be as a practicing teacher?
3. “Moving away from simple kindness and toward real justice begins with building an identity-safe classroom: a place where everyone’s story is not only recognized but honored, studied and loved. This means moving beyond a curricular focus to make justice part of a class’s daily culture.” Have you thought about how you might implement such a system in your own classroom?
Quick Summary of Critical Conversation:
Restorative justice was a newer concept for the group. Reflecting on past incident (at 11 years of age) and the subsequent community service, one member talked about how serving the community in a way was restorative, but without the other components or a link to culture, it was not as meaningful or impactful as the stories of restorative justice from our readings. Another had experience working at a reserve school and was fortunate enough to go on a field trip with a group who shared their therapeutic equine practices and stories with her which helped her understand how impactful using traditional ways of knowing in a system of restorative justice could be.
Everyone agreed that the implementation phase of a new restorative system of justice in a learning environment would be the trickiest part. Not only as a time of adjustment for everyone, but because the depth of it’s reach really depends on the buy-in and support of the entire school and community. It was agreed that even if an school did not have its own system of restorative justice, practices inspired by a restorative justice system such as relationship building, a classroom culture of openness, mutual respect, and practices such as listening to one another can all help to create a restorative and supportive classroom environment.
Reflections: Think about your role as ‘host’. What did you learn about yourself (as teacher)? What surprised you? Were there any AHA moments? What did you do really well? What would you do differently?
As a host I realized that I enjoy listening a lot more than I thought I did. I also realized how much I may have missed when I was planning my next answer in previous conversations instead of actively listening to the conversation around me. This was a huge surprise and AHA moment. I also realized that I need more practice employing transitions when keeping people on a timeline as I don’t want to come off as rushing them or being disrespectful.
Critical Reflections: How could your understandings of the readings, and the critical conversation, contribute to your teaching philosophy? (1-2 paragraphs)
Everything I’ve ever learned about classroom management prior to my education classes touted the necessity of punishment, be it through trips to the Principal’s office, sitting outside of the classroom on the floor to cool off, having a time-out in the corner, or having a reward taken away. I understand through these readings and our conversation how much more meaningful and beneficial it would be to utilize the principles of restorative justice when dealing with hiccups in the classroom.
I have always been an empathetic and relationship driven person who valued inclusion and respect. This degree through classes on inclusion, differentiation, cultural responsiveness, Treaty Education, etc., has taken my original feelings and tendencies to a level I never thought possible, and the implementation of restorative justice is a natural extension of my beliefs on how people should be treated and how to nurture others to be their best selves. I’ve already tried using the conversation techniques with my kids when they are fighting and it has already yielded positive results.
Questions: What are you wondering about now?, i.e. thoughtful questions that arose from the discussion.
I am wondering if any local schools have adopted principles of restorative justice and am interested in hearing about what they have learned and the outcomes they are seeing. I want to know how to meaningfully implement such practices in my future classrooms.