Plenary Session: Restorative Practices - A Universal Language

Professor Dennis Wong, PhD, is a professor at the Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences and the Associate Dean (Student Life and Learning) at City University of Hong Kong.

Topic: Resolving School Bullying via Restorative Practices

School bullying among school children is certainly not a new phenomenon. There is evidence showing that continued bullying can contribute to immediate problems such as truancy and sleeping difficulties, and long-term problems such as low self-esteem or depression. Unresolved school bullying problems are often a precursor of prolonged conflicts and school violence.

This presentation discusses ways for breaking the cycle of revenge-taking and stopping traditional bullying by using restorative practices. Restorative practice is generally regarded as an effective strategy for dealing with school bullying. Restorative practices focus on taking bullies accountable to what they have done and simultaneously reestablishing social bonds to prevent students from feeling isolated from the school community.

With a few cases illustration, the presentation discusses how restorative practices are useful for empowering victims to assert their rights and minimize their fear of crime, and at the same time assist perpetrator to repair harm done and resolve the conflicts.

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Vidia Negrea is a clinical psychologist and a restorative practitioner, trustee of the US-based International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) and regional representative for IIRP Europe. Since 2001, Vidia has been working as a trainer, facilitator, supervisor and university lecturer on implementing restorative practices in different fields in Hungary.

Topic: Stable Principles, Flexible Methods

The presentation will share the lessons learnt from a practitioner’s perspective on the use of restorative processes as a response to the needs of vulnerable groups (minorities, prisoners, refugees), the professionals and volunteers working with them. Including knowledge from different fields of sciences into a restorative framework gives the possibility of a socially and culturally sensitive intervention, aiming to integrate differences and convert negative emotions into a proactive process of designing a ‘successful citizenship’.

The case-based presentation will show the powerful, but also the challenging nature of this endeavour, share professional dilemmas and hope to initiate a dialogue with participants about the following questions: how can a restorative approach function in a context that is based on a hierarchical system and vertical communication? What are the effective means to bridge the gap created by fear, mistrust, lack of communication or socio-economical barriers?

The examples presented will provide an opportunity for participants to reflect upon the benefits of restorative practices in creating safe spaces with a common language to assure engagement and good decision-making processes —even in the midst of complexity and conflict.

Topic: Radicalised Youth/ Indigenous People in Australia

The idea of using restorative dialogue to respond to ‘radicalisation of young people’ and ’tobacco reduction in a remote indigenous community’ has certainly raised lots of interest. What both projects have in common is the importance relationships have in influencing the choices young people make. It recognises that young people who experience strong connections with others are more likely to make choices based on the need to be valued and loved rather than a logical argument about the dangers of extremism or negative health impacts. Restorative dialogue offers the opportunity to focus on what matters.