The Circle Way
In the circle way, healing power appears.
No two circles are ever the same.
No single method is best.
Together, we can almost always find a way.
"Sometimes in my line of work I can be skeptical of things, but I truly believe your program works."
--A Police Officer
The Circle Way: A Foundation of Restorative Practice
Where there has been harm, the community of those who have been affected come together. We sit in a circle and explore how each of us has been impacted.
Together we decide what is needed to make things right. We identify what obligations were created when the harm occured. We make specific agreements with those who have done harm about how they will work to repair the consequences of their actions. We hold them accountable, and offer them and each other support to help us move toward healing.
We work together to restore a sense of justice and balance in our community.
We also use circles to build community. We come together to discuss the issues that affect us. We exchange ideas and learn about each other. Sometimes we solve problems together. Sometimes we come together for learning.
In community building circles we experience the richness of the full array of perspectives and personalities present.
Rondeur Des Jours
Days begin and end in the dead of night. They are not shaped long, in the manner of things which lead to ends— arrow, road, a person’s life on earth. They are shaped round, in the manner of things eternal and stable— sun, world, God. Civilization tries to persuade us we are going towards something, a distant goal. We have forgotten that our only goal is to live, to live each and every day, and that if we live each and every day, our true goal is achieved. All civilized people see the day beginning at dawn or a little after or a long time after or whatever time their work begins; this they lengthen according to their work, during what they call ‘all day long;’ and end it when they close their eyes. It is they who say the days are long. On the contrary, the days are round.
-- Jean Giono
Coming together in a circle, with the intention to benefit our community, we:
Listen from the heart.
Speak from the heart.
Be of lean expression, speaking concisely and to the point.
Trust that when it is our time to speak, we will say what needs to be said without rehearsal.
The Shape of the Circle:
The shape is important. Only a circle will do.