Restorative Justice in Education (RJE) Conference
June 24-25, 2025
"Language Matters: Exploring the Role of Discourse and Communication in Restorative Justice Education"
Interested in submitting a proposal?
The conference will have that same small conference vibe, but this year, we are doing something different, and we are excited about it! This year, we are inviting you to facilitate the breakout sessions, creating spaces where you can share your work and where we are indeed all learning together how to do the work restoratively. Using the Google Form below, we invite you to submit proposals that connect your restorative justice work with the conference theme.
Language matters. According to Maisha Winn (2018), “restorative justice discourse disrupts retributive mind-sets and processes” (p. 41), creating new ways of talking about harms, needs, and obligations. Citing Angela Davis, Winn invites practitioners to engage with “critical vocabularies” where equity and justice are central to our communication. Whether we are speaking with or about youth, communicating with families and community members, or advocating for a more just and equitable world, the language we use matters.
This year’s theme for EMU’s RJE Conference is Language Matters: Exploring the Role of Discourse and Communication in Restorative Justice in Education. We are extending an invitation for proposals for breakout sessions to share the ways in which language, literacy, communication, and the discourses that we use at the interpersonal, institutional, and structural levels (Davis, 2019) shape us and our work, and indeed are shaped by us.
Winn, M. T. (2020). Justice on both sides: Transforming education through restorative justice. Harvard Education Press.
Read more about our conference theme here
Proposals are Due Friday, November 1st
We look forward to collaborating with you in the coming months to create an RJE Conference that not only talks about restorative justice, but that seeks to embody a restorative justice ethos in how we are when we are together. If you know of educators or organizations whose work aligns with the theme, please forward this announcement. If you have questions about the submission process, don’t hesitate to reach out to cape@emu.edu.
Registration Opens Early 2025
More details coming soon!
Virtual access registration for 2024 Conference: *Still available
Virtual access will include Opening and Closing Keynotes, as well as all sessions, plenary, and panels. All virtual registrants will have access to recordings.
Virtual access: $100.00
Did you miss the 2024 conference? You are still able to access all recordings! Register HERE and receive access to watch as often as you would like!
View 2024's conference schedule and speakers:
2024 RJE Conference ScheduleMeet our Speakers!
For more information or questions, please email us at cape@emu.edu
Looking for more? Consider an online Graduate Certificate or MA in Education with a concentration in Restorative Justice.
