Seward Longfellow Restorative Justice Partnership 2011 Year in Review

Court Diversion restorative conferences Twenty-nine (29) restorative conferences completed with youth diverted from court by the Minneapolis Police Department and Hennepin County Attorneys office for committing misdemeanor offenses including shoplifting, theft, property damage, and 5th degree assault. Goal for year is 24 conferences. Youth completing the program contributed over 200 hours of service to the community, returned $900 to those harmed and made over 20 written and verbal apologies, in addition to engaging in numerous personal development activities including attending tutoring, participating in organized sports, writing essays, working alongside the victim to complete a project and assisting with additional chores at home. An individual harmed by a crime contacted SLRJP to request that the case be handled in the community instead of in court. The police department agreed to refer the citation to SLRJP. Two parents requested that their daughters enroll voluntarily in the program when their daughters shoplifted with friends but were not arrested. Comments received from participants in restorative conferences include, We are very happy with the outcome and are glad that our daughter had an opportunity to think and talk about what happened. The program is very effective. I learned not to get in trouble. And being better at taking care of my responsibility. Co-hosted two facilitator trainings with Restorative Justice Community Action, with 6 slots for each program. In November, SLRJPs 6 slots filled up in 3 days. All the food for trainings was donated by local restaurants and grocery stores, keeping expenses to a minimum. Three in-services for volunteers: communicating across difference, the use of reflection for facilitators, consequences of a juvenile record. Talking Circles - Matthews and Longfellow Park teen circles both meet two times per month with an average of 10 youth attending. Recent comments about what teens learned in circle include: I learned about different people and I learned about their background, to respect people and their ideas, I learned about each other, to be trustworthy, working in groups. Seward Towers circle was started and ran from January May 2011. The circle is currently on hiatus due to staff changes at the Towers. Several teens from the Towers are attending Matthews Park circle. Adult circle continues to meet monthly to share stories and offer support Funding - Increase in individual giving from $4200 in 2010 to over $5500 in 2011. Selected as a beneficiary of two community fundraising events: Generosity Fest organized by Common Ground Meditation Center and Many Hands classical concert organized by a Longfellow resident. New or increased funding received in 2011 from the Hennepin County Bar Foundation, Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation, Seward Co-op Community Fund and the Basilian Human Development Fund. Expenses for 2011: $41,500 Revenue: $41,500 Outreach - Engaged with neighbors at resource tables at Longfellow Community Council semi-annual meetings, Seward Neighborhood Group annual meeting, Longfellow Cornfeed, and Matthews Park Kings Fair. Panelist for Minneapolis Partners for Youth conference. Presentations for adult education at Community of St. Martin and Grace University Lutheran. Presentation for South Minneapolis Rotary Club. KFAI Radio Program Truth to Tell with St. Paul City Attorney, Ramsey County Attorney and Hennepin County Juvenile Prosecution Managing Attorney. Invited to join Volunteers of America Community Relations Board. 118 friends on FaceBook. Staff and Volunteers - One part-time Program Manager and 32 active volunteers including 15 trained conference facilitators and 4 trained circle keepers. Increased Program Managers hours from 20/week to 25/week. Students at Augsburg created a database for conference evaluations. St. Kates internship site for bachelor of social work junior student. Adult volunteers contribute over 500 hours to the program annually.
Compiled by Michele Braley, Program Manager, 612-338-6205 x108 michele@sng.org