OUR MISSION OUR VISION OUR VALUES - CJIBC

Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives ~ Annual Report 2009

Page 1

Table of Contents Board of Directors ................................................................................................................................................... 2 CJI Staff .................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Board Chair’s Report .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Co-Directors’ Report ................................................................................................................................................ 4 A Brief History of CJI ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Community Support ................................................................................................................................................. 8 Educating for Peacebuilding .................................................................................................................................... 9 Restorative Youth Services ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Asset Building Project ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Youth Committee Project.......................................................................................................................................... 15 Victim Offender Mediation Program (VOMP).............................................................................................................. 16 Training & Education ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Training, Technical Assistance, Conferences .............................................................................................................. 20

OUR MISSION

To foster peacemaking and the resolution of conflict in the

community through the development and

application of Restorative Justice values, principles

and processes.

OUR VISION

We aspire to the achievement of a society where the natural

response to conflict and harm is more restorative than

punitive, more relational than isolating, and more

healing than productive of further harm.

OUR VALUES

In all of our relationships, our actions

will be guided by an ethic of

care characterized by safety and respect.


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2008/2009 Board of Directors

Fae Chato Manchuk ................................Chair Norm Driedger ........................................Director

Fraser Simmons .......................................Vice Chair Jeff Christian ...........................................Director

Alison McVeigh........................................Secretary Don MacDonald......................................Director

Scott Nichols ...........................................Treasurer Vic Derksen-Siemens ................................Director

Dolly VanderMark....................................Director Cathy Wall ..............................................Director

Alex Bartel...............................................Director

2007/2008 Staff

Sandra Bergen.........................................• Co-Director, Administration • VOMP Mediator & Trainer

David L. Gustafson ..................................• Co-Director, Program Development • VOMP Mediator & Trainer

Catherine Bargen.....................................• Trainer (to November 2008)

Dan Basham ...........................................• School Program Coordinator

Karen Dhillon ..........................................• Restorative Youth Services - Community Service Coordinator • Community Development (from September 2008)

Johanna Suttor-Doerksen .........................• Restorative Youth Services - Community Development Coordinator (to August 2008)

Carly Hoogeveen.....................................• Asset Development Project • Youth Committee Project (from June 2008) • Community Development (from September 2008)

Debbie Strong .........................................• Administration & Bookkeeping • Training Coordinator

Rose Wilson ............................................• Administrative Assistant • Community Development (from September 2008)

CJI staff (left to right): Debbie Strong, Rose Wilson, Carly Hoogeveen, David Gustafson, Dan Basham, Sandra Bergen and Karen Dhillon. Inset: former staff Johanna Suttor-Doerksen (left) and Catherine Bargen (right)


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nother year has flown by and as I sit in front of my

computer reviewing our Board minutes I am

overwhelmed with the significance of the work of CJI. I feel

privileged to be associated with the Co-directors, staff and

Board Members who dedicate themselves to the Mission,

Values and Vision of the Fraser Region Community Justice

Initiatives Association (CJI).

The faces around our Board Room table changed this year

with the resignation of Norm Driedger and the addition of Vic

Derksen-Siemens and Cathy Wall. The varied skills and

experiences of all the Board Members plus their dedication to

the beliefs and goals of CJI are integral components in fulfilling

the responsibility of operating CJI in accordance with the

Society Act of BC, Revenue Canada and other statutes.

As a balance to the serious business that the Board

discusses throughout the year the planning of the annual

Fall Fundraiser is a focal point for the Board and staff. This

year’s event was a tremendous success. The organizing

committee opted for a change in venue and the Langley

Golf and Banquet Centre proved to be an excellent choice

as demonstrated by a waiting list for tickets. Board Member,

Dr. Alex Bartel very capably emceed the dinner and the

quests enjoyed a delicious meal and a very competitive

silent auction. Special guest speakers, Suman and Manjit

Virk, graciously shared their very personal experience and

impressed the audience with the power of Restorative

Justice. Presentations by DW Poppy Secondary School

acknowledged the importance of CJI’s Educating for

Peacebuilding project. Many thanks to all who contributed

to this very successful evening and I look forward to seeing

everyone at next years’ event.

Thanks to the CJI staff who, in addition

to their many responsibilities, took the time

to publish the Olive Branch, an informative

in-house newsletter that communicates the

ongoing work of CJI. It is available on the

CJI website.

The departure of staff member, Catherine Bargen to the

position of Restorative Justice Co-ordinator for the Province

of BC reinforced the importance of succession planning and

initiated a search for a qualified candidate to fulfill the

demand for training and to assist with increasing referrals to

VORP/VOMP.

An ongoing concern for the Board is the frequently

unreasonable demand on staff resources and how a

balance can be established to continue the work of CJI

while providing a healthy work environment.

Our dedicated Board Member, Dolly VanDerMark has

decided that she will not let her name stand for re-election.

Dolly has been a Board member for twenty-one years and

she has been a driving force behind the organizing

committee for the Annual Fund Raising dinner. We will all

miss her welcoming hugs as well as her willingness to assist

in the ongoing work of CJI. Words cannot adequately

express our appreciation.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to thank

Dave and Sandi and the staff for their dedication and

professionalism and to reaffirm our commitment to

collaborate with them to determine the issues that matter

and to provide the decision–making mechanisms needed to

direct and accomplish the business of CJI.

Respectfully submitted,

Fae Chato-Manchuk,

CJI Board Chairperson

A

Board Chair’s Report By Fae Chato Manchuk, CJI Board Chairperson

CJI’s 2008-2009 Board of Directors (top row,

left to right): Fae Chato-Manchuk, Alison McVeigh,

Scott Nichols, Dolly VanDerMark, Jeff Christian;

(bottom row, left to right): Don MacDonald,

Fraser Simmons, Vic Derksen-Seimens, Cathy Wall

and Norm Driedger. Absent: Alex Bartel


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s we waited for inspiration to help get started writing

this report, we realized that when we thought about CJI

over the past year our thoughts kept going to the people who are

associated with this agency as staff, as volunteers, as supporters,

as friends. We truly have been blessed.

A number of our Victim Offender Mediation Program

(VOMP) clients not only maintain contact with us and keep

us posted on their challenges and their progress, but also

assist others in significant and meaningful ways. Victim

participants speak to other victims who are considering

involvement in VOMP or who are anticipating a face-to-face

meeting with the person who has harmed them, and they

find comfort in talking with someone who has “been there,

done that”. Offender participants assist fellow prisoners and

parolees in similar ways offering support and encourage-

ment. They also encourage us and provide us the feedback

that validates our work and helps us provide better service

to program participants.

Last fall, a group of current and former VOMP

participants began to meet and to invite others, who are on

their own healing journeys, to join them. It has been a

privilege to be associated with this group and to see how

profoundly healing this Trauma Survivors’ Group, organized

around pot-luck dinners held by turns in their various

homes, is proving to be. To a person, they have commented

on how important it is to simply have a completely safe

context where each is known, respected, accepted and

loved unconditionally; a place where each can depend

upon having a common vocabulary and unspoken

understanding as we dialogue, in formal circles or amidst

laughter at the dining table, about shared grief and the

journey toward healing.

We are fortunate to have an active Board of Directors

comprised of men and women who have experience as

therapists, health care providers, business people,

corrections and parole board staff, elders, and as long-term

community volunteers. We particularly want to acknowledge

Dolly VanDerMark who has served on the CJI Board of

Directors since 1988. Only CJI’s Co-Directors have had a

longer association with this agency. Dolly has been a

tremendous supporter of CJI throughout her time on the

Board. She has always been someone we could count on to

assist at any CJI event. Her special niche for the past several

years has been as the person who puts in countless hours

soliciting donations for the silent auctions held at our

fundraising dinners. She has been a frequent visitor to the

CJI office just to check in with staff and see how things are

going. And we can always count on being able to give and

get a big hug from her before she leaves. Dolly has decided

not to stand for re-election to the Board but she has been

clear that her support, her hugs, and her tireless quest for

silent auction items will continue. Thank you, Dolly for your

long-term commitment and dedication to this agency.

It is also a joy to have wonderful staff who clearly enjoy

each other and are enthusiastic about their work. Debbie

Strong has been a godsend from the moment she walked in

the door. She is bookkeeper, logistical coordinator for

training, the first person to call when anyone has a

computer issue, confidant, graphic artist… the list goes on.

Dan Basham continues to respond to a range of

opportunities in the Langley School District that enable him

to connect with young people in ways which help them

address difficult issues, and in ways which assist them in

developing communication and conflict resolution skills that

will serve them throughout their lives. Carly Hoogeveen,

despite her youth, has earned the respect of Ministry of

Children and Family Development (MCFD) administrators,

has helped to develop a vibrant Regional Youth

Subcommittee, has worked effectively to engage youth

throughout Langley in decision making regarding a youth

strategy for the City and Municipality, and has assisted

agencies in Delta, White Rock and Langley to incorporate

the 40 Developmental Assets into their service delivery.

Karen Dhillon is also highly regarded by MCFD staff, by our

partner agencies, by the placement agencies where youth

complete their community service hours, and by the youth

who Karen assists to successfully address their obligations.

She also graciously mentors each of them in the process.

Rose Wilson, in addition to being the friendly voice you are

most likely to hear when you phone the CJI office, has

proven to be an enthusiastic fundraiser, Little Black Book

organizer, researcher, and logistical coordinator. Her ‘can-

do’ attitude and sunny disposition help grace the office

continually. Combined, these individuals are a tremendous,

compassionate, fun, dedicated, skilled “family”. They make

coming to work a joy and delight.

Co-Directors’ Report By Sandra Bergen & David L. Gustafson, CJI Co-directors

A


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Once again, there were farewells. Catherine Bargen

completed her Master’s Degree in Conflict Transformation

at Eastern Mennonite University in 2008. When the position

of Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Province of BC

was posted a few months later, we reluctantly (because we

did not want to lose her) encouraged her to apply. It came

as no surprise that she was the successful applicant.

Fortunately we are able to maintain contact with Catherine

because her work is closely connected to that of CJI.

In May 2008 we were informed that the Community

Capacity Development (CCD) Contract for Surrey was

being terminated. Johanna Suttor-Doerksen, who had

been the CCD Coordinator, had already indicated that

she was hoping to find employment in her own

community in Vancouver, so contract termination was not

as traumatic as it might otherwise have been.

Johanna’s energy, sense of humour, and

vibrant personality are definitely missed. We

wish her well.

We also had two excellent practicum

students join us: Maggie Ng and Brooke

Grondahl. They assisted Carly, Karen and Dan

with Restorative Youth Services and the

Educating for Peacebuilding Project. Maggie

recently completed her Criminology Degree as well as

Border Services training, and Brooke continues as a student

at Simon Fraser University.

In January, a very productive day-long staff “retreat”

was held at Dave’s house. The main focus for the day was

training. The decision was made to hire someone who

would be primarily responsible for training and for

developing training packages and opportunities. We

discussed the “ideal” candidate for the position, knowing

that we would be unlikely to find anyone with all the skills,

abilities, experience and personality traits we had identified.

The retreat was on a Thursday. The following Monday, we

received an e-mail from a former volunteer mediator. He

was forwarding the résumé of a young man, Aaron Lyons,

who was the son of a friend-of-a-friend, and who had been

studying and working in the US but was planning to return

to BC. The résumé was impressive and as close to our

“ideal” as we could have hoped. The position was

advertised, interviews were conducted, negotiations were

concluded and Aaron was invited to join the CJI team.

CJI’s fundraising dinner was moved to a different venue,

the Langley Golf and Banquet Centre, and for the first time

the dinner was overbooked. Thank you to all who helped

support CJI through your attendance at the dinner and your

silent auction purchases. It was a special evening shared

with members of the Restorative Justice community,

corrections staff, crown counsel, CJI program participants,

partner agency staff, friends and relatives. Dr. Alex Bartel

was an engaging and animated emcee. Guest speakers for

the event were Suman and Manjit Virk. The Virks shared the

story of their healing journey, from the time their daughter

Reena was murdered, to their meeting with Warren

Glowatski through CJI’s Victim Offender Mediation

Program, to talking to young people about making good

and right choices. Their presentation was powerful and

moving, even more so because Warren was in the

audience. Many of the dinner attendees commented that the

most profound and inspiring moment of the evening was

when, after finishing her presentation, Suman

walked over to Warren and gave him a hug.

Debbie Strong, Rose Wilson, Rose’s

mother Ramona Langeman, Carly

Hoogeveen, Karen Dhillon and Dolly

VanDerMark did a great job decorating the

space and displaying the silent auction items.

Once again, Dolly did yeoman service

soliciting silent auction items.

CJI’s 2009 fundraising dinner will be November 6 at

the Langley Golf and Banquet Centre. We promise another

inspirational evening with stories of healing and hope from

people who have participated in CJI programs.

For us as Co-Directors, our roles and the years of our

tenure at CJI seem truly blessed. It is sometimes difficult

to imagine a work environment that deals with clientele

who are in greater pain. Staff often take on some of that

pain, vicariously, obviously. And yet the metaphors that

describe the average day at CJI do not seem to be those

of darkness or of pain or brokenness, so often as they are

those of light, of release from pain, and of joy in walking

alongside those who are on the road toward healing,

toward more effective ways of relating to others, toward

greater degrees of wellbeing. With each passing year, as

we, Sandi and Dave, get closer to needing to consider

what retirement will mean, we find ourselves feeling sorry

for those of our cohort who cannot wait to fill up the

required pensionable time in order to leave the

workplace. Life here is a joy, and each of you make it so.

To you who have shared the labour, to you who help

fund it, to you who provide governance and joy in the

work with us, year by year: profound thanks. �

For us as

Co-Directors, our

roles and the

years of our tenure at

CJI seem

truly blessed.


Page 6

o r more than two decades , F rase r Reg ion

Community Justice Initiatives Association (CJI) has

provided Restorative Justice based programs and conflict

resolution services in such settings as the criminal justice system,

workplace, community, institutions, organisations, churches,

schools and businesses. CJI was first established through the

efforts and vision of the Langley Mennonite Fellowship (LMF) and

has since grown into a multi-faceted agency.

The beginnings of CJI lie within the Langley Victim

Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) which started in

1981-82. LMF members were committed to providing an

innovative, meaningful service and to promoting

peacemaking in their community. After researching

programs already established in Ontario and

Indiana, it was decided to develop a victim

offender reconciliation program in Langley. The

first referral was received in May 1982.

Operation during the first three years was

funded entirely by the small congregation of

LMF. The quarter-time director was the only

paid staff member relying on volunteers to

provide other necessary time, energy and

expertise. In 1984 it became apparent that the

program could no longer rely totally on

volunteer staff and the generosity of the LMF

congregation. As a result, VORP competed

for—and won—an Alternative Measures

contract with the Ministry of the Attorney

General, enabling the hiring of a case

manager and assisting with operating

expenses. In 1985, CJI was formed as a non-profit society

to operate VORP and related programming. This move

enabled individuals within the community to participate by

becoming CJI members or by joining the board of directors.

It also allowed for the development of a more diverse

funding base. LMF’s commitment did not end with the

formation of CJI and over the years a number of staff and

volunteer mediators have been LMF members. The church

has continued to make financial contributions, and CJI’s

constitution ensures that LMF is represented on its board of

directors.

The possibility of beginning a Victim Offender

Reconciliation Program in Surrey was raised in 1987. The

decision was made to expand into Surrey and a contract was

awarded for a six-week developmental phase. Operating

contracts followed from April 1, 1988, and continued for 16

years until July 31, 2004.

In 1988-89, CJI conducted a research study on victim

offender reconciliation in serious crime for the Ministry of the

Solicitor General (Canada). Results of the study indicated that

the majority of both the offenders and victims of these

offences would be willing to meet and believed that they

would find such meetings to be beneficial, supporting the

Restorative Justice model conceptualized by CJI. The concept

became a pilot project that, in turn, became one of the first

programs in the world to utilize a combination of therapeutic

and dispute resolution protocols in working with serious and

violent crimes. That program, the Victim

Offender Mediation Program (VOMP), is now

operated by CJI in the Pacific Region under

contract to the Correctional Service of Canada.

In 2004 VOMP was expanded to national

status, with CJI staff instrumental in selecting,

training and mentoring individuals across the

country.

In 1991, CJI completed a pilot project at

the Stave Lake Correctional Centre, focussing

on the needs of adult survivors of sexual

abuse. This project utilized counselling,

therapeutic and mediation skills to bring

together the offenders and victims of sexual

offenses. A small number of cases that met

strict criteria continued on into a victim

offender reconciliation component. A quote

from the evaluation of this pilot project by William

Glackman, PhD, from Simon Fraser University states that

“the program had strong support from all of the individuals

interviewed in this evaluation. Both the victims and

offenders, as well as the staff…, indicated their enthusiasm

for the existence and continuation of the Victim Offender

Awareness Program (VOAP). In fact, the staff at Stave Lake

commented that VOAP had had a positive impact upon the

atmosphere at the camp as a whole, thereby extending the

program’s positive influence beyond just the offender

participants themselves…[I]t is clear that the initial offering

of VOAP has proven to be a worthwhile model for future

programs of this type.” Despite these successful outcomes,

VOAP was not funded past the pilot stage.

F

A Brief History of CJI Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives: 1985-2009

The beginnings

of CJI lie within the

Langley Victim

Offender

Reconciliation

Program (VORP)

which started in

1981-82. LMF

members were

committed to providing

an innovative,

meaningful service and

to promoting

peacemaking in their

community.


Page 7

The Community Dispute Resolution Program (CDRP) was

begun in 1991. In dealing with hundreds of criminal offenses

referred to the VORP by Langley’s crown counsel and

probation office, it had become clear that many incidents

involved repeated call-outs to RCMP or bylaw officers before

a criminal charge was actually laid. CJI had also received

referrals from crown counsel when, after numerous police

and bylaw officer contacts, VORP was asked to mediate the

matter. Such requests fell outside the VORP contract but were

conducted as a community service. Funding to operate the

CDRP, which utilized mediation and conciliation to resolve

conflicts, was first granted in 1992. Unfortunately funding was

discontinued after three years and despite the agency’s best

efforts to keep the program going, in 1997 CDRP became yet

another program to suffer “death by pilot project.”

A CJI-sponsored Restorative Justice symposium was held in

Hull, Quebec in February 1995. Government

representatives, crown counsel, lawyers, service

providers and academics met for three days to

discuss Restorative Justice concepts and

practical applications. This was followed in

1997 by the Satisfying Justice Symposium held

in Vancouver and co-sponsored by CJI, the

Canadian Criminal Justice Association, the

Church Council on Justice and Corrections, and

the Federal Government (Ministry of Solicitor

General and Justice Canada).

Through CJI’s growth and development,

the agency has seen its training component

become increasingly important. External

training contracts allow CJI to share its

expertise and have provided a source of

income, offering a way to diversify the

agency’s funding base while staying focused on its mission,

vision and values.

In 2000, CJI embarked on a major project in

collaboration with the Langley School District. Entitled

Educating for Peacebuilding, the purpose of this program is

to create a school culture which encourages the use of

Restorative Justice based approaches in response to discipline

and conflict situations. As part of the project, secondary and

elementary school training resources were developed and

have since been implemented in Langley schools as well as in

a number of other districts. Educating for Peacebuilding, also

known as Restorative Action, is now moving into its eighth

year and has become a model for schools and school districts

considering Restorative approaches.

In November 1999, CJI was nominated for the First

Annual Ron Wiebe Restorative Justice Award. Ron Wiebe,

the warden at Ferndale Institution for many years, was a

strong proponent of Restorative Justice and was very

supportive of CJI. In 2002, the agency was again

nominated and in November of that year, CJI staff travelled

to Edmonton to receive this prestigious award. After the

disappointment of having provincial government funding

cutbacks applied to the VORP program earlier that year,

receiving the Ron Wiebe award gave staff something to

celebrate.

July 31, 2004 marked the final day of CJI’s Victim Offender

Reconciliation Program (VORP) when funding for the remaining

youth contract with the BC Ministry for Children and Family

Development was suspended. As was the case with the adult

contract in 2002, the termination of the youth contract was the

result of provincial funding cutbacks. Staff were

disappointed and frustrated by the decision, and

remain committed to this program that was at CJI’s

core for so many years. Years after VORP’s

termination, CJI continues to receive calls

requesting services in cases involving adults. When

possible, CJI staff assist despite the lack of funding

and already full workloads, and the agency

continues to seek new funding sources in order to

resume provision of this service for which there is

apparently still a significant need.

In 2004, CJI successfully secured partnerships

with agencies in Langley and Surrey to provided

Restorative Youth Services (RYS). The program is

divided into three components: 1) Restorative

Community Service, assisting youth in completing

court-assigned community service hours in

meaningful ways, 2) Community Capacity Development,

working to develop resources and supports for youth, and 3)

Mentorship, connecting youth with positive adult role models.

RYS has brought challenges and delivered successes, and has

served to enrich CJI with renewed energy and vitality, allowing

the agency to continue to promote Restorative Justice values and

principles through new and exciting avenues.

Evolving out of RYS has come a new project for CJI,

focussed on the 40 Developmental Assets that children and

youth need to succeed in life, as articulated by the Search

Institute. CJI is working with pilot sites in the communities of

Langley, Surrey and Delta to make the 40 Developmental

Assets part of the language and philosophy when interacting

with youth. The 40 Developmental Assets parallel Restorative

CJI is working with

pilot sites in the

communities of Langley,

Surrey and Delta to

make the 40

Developmental Assets

part of the language and

philosophy when

interacting with youth.

The 40 Developmental

Assets parallel

Restorative Justice

philosophy and feel like

a natural fit for CJI’s

mandate.


Page 8

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

The continued support of individuals, foundations and community groups helps make possible the operation of CJI. The board of directors, administrators and staff would like to acknowledge and extend appreciation to these contributors: • BC Ministry for Children & Family Development • Envision Financial • Correctional Service of Canada • The City of Langley • Coast Capital Savings Foundation • The Vancouver Foundation • Lions Clubs of North Surrey, Newton, Delta/Scottsdale, • Fraser Marine Transportation North Delta, Cloverdale, Aldergrove & Walnut Grove

November 2008 Fundraising Auction Donors: 1 Fish 2 Fish • Annie Antoshchuk • Apex Communications • Birthplace of BC Gallery • Blockbuster Video - Surrey • Candadian Tire - Langley • Cedar Rim Nursery • Choo Choo’s Food and Beverage Co. • CIBC - White Rock • Coast Hotel & Convention Centre • Comfort Plus • Costco • Days Inn & Suites • Deborah Strong - Cat & Mouse Designs • Discount Car & Truck Rentals - Industrial Ave. • Dr. Harold Punnett • Eaglequest Golf • Elizabeth Berkey • Ella’s Fashion • Fashion Call • Ferndale Institution Residents • Frontier Building Supply Ltd. • Heartspeak Productions • Home Depot • Homestead Insurance • Irene Vincent • Jeff Christian • Joanne Wesley • Krause Berry Farms • Langley Chrysler • Langley Golf Centre • Langley Toyota Town • Laurie Miller • Liquidation World - Langley

Justice philosophy and feel like a natural fit for CJI’s mandate.

Another outcome of RYS has the Inviting Dialogue

public presentation series. Focussing on topics of interest to

the community, particularly on issues affecting youth, these

twice-yearly free presentations have created a wonderful

opportunity CJI to raise its profile in the community while

providing valuable information and a chance for people to

come together to discuss important topics. All too often CJI

staff, board members and volunteers encounter community

members who have never heard of CJI despite its lengthy

presence in Langley. Given the confidential nature of much

of the work CJI does, it is not surprising that the agency is

not widely known. However events like Inviting Dialogue,

programs like Educating for Peacebuilding, and projects like

Asset Building, in combination with the fall fundraising

dinners that have become an annual CJI event since 2005,

have contributed positively to raising the agency’s profile

and demonstrating that Restorative Justice not only offers

alternative responses to harm, but can also be a positive,

pro-active, preventive force.

Having celebrated “20 years of excellence in

Restorative Justice” in 2005, CJI is now well into its third

decade—quite an achievement for a small, non-profit

society. It continues to evolve, with new projects such as

the Asset Development Project and the Youth Committee

Project, changes in staff, and ongoing challenges. As it has

throughout its history, the agency continues to provide

programs and services in keeping with its philosophy and

mandate, seeking new opportunities to fulfill its mission

statement. And as with any non-profit society, the future is

never certain. However, if the past is anything to go by, CJI

can look forward to bright prospects ahead. �

• London Drugs - Langley • Marketplace IGA -Langley Mall • Marketplace IGA - Thunderbird Village-Langley • Mount Seymour • Mountain Alpine Sports • MTF Price Matters - 96Ave Location • Newlands Golf & Country Club • Nood, New Objects of Desire • Otter Co-Op • Outdoor Depot • P. Purewal • Pachauer’s Jewellers • Paradise Tanning Studios • Pat Carroll • Perfect Lies • Peter Bergen • Print Center • Prism Hair Designs • Red Robin Restaurants of Canada • Rogers Art & Gifts • Safeway - Fraser Crossing Mall • Sheila Jecks

Your generosity is valued and greatly appreciated. Thank you for supporting CJI!

Pictured: Silent auction tables at CJI’s November fundraiser.


Page 9

he past year has been a very busy one for the

Educating for Peacebuilding project, now in

its ninth year. Once again we are very grateful to the

Coast Capital Savings Foundation for supplying a

grant that helped sustain the program. Our thanks

also goes to Langley School District which not only

supports us financially, but has really embraced

Restorative Action as a way to resolve conflicts in

schools. Without support from both of these sources,

we would not be able to do this important work.

The 2007-2008 school year was capped off

with a district-wide barbeque for Restorative Action

mediators. The barbeque was held at the end of June in

Langley’s McLeod Athletic Park. The event was a great wrap-up

for students who had worked really hard resolving conflicts at

their schools since September. We had approximately 25

students and staff show up for hotdogs, hamburgers, games

and prizes. Prizes were generously donated by Dairy Queen,

Rogers Video, Starbucks Coffee and Subway. Many thanks go

to those businesses for supporting our program.

September 2008 saw changes in support personnel at

the Langley School District. Cristy Watson became the

District’s new Restorative Action teacher, taking over from

Deb Hale and Debbie Taylor. The two “Debs” worked with

the Restorative Action program since its beginnings and

were crucial to its success. While we miss them, we feel

lucky to have Cristy Watson take on the role. She is a great

asset to the program and brings many Restorative skills

learned over her teaching career.

Our vision at the beginning of the year was that this

would be a year for Cristy and myself to get used to training

and working together. We also wanted to focus on doing

more work in the elementary schools. We had plenty of

opportunity to get to know one another: in total this year, we

trained six school teams comprised of 94 students and 17

staff members.

Of the six school teams involved in training, two were

elementary schools. This has been a new direction for me and I

am excited to be training at this level. James Hill Elementary

School requested that a whole class of Grade 7 French

Immersion students be trained in Restorative Action. The

training was completed in October and the students were keen,

becoming very skilled in their mediation practise. They have

since been able to utilize their skills in leadership

roles at their school. They were also able to

demonstrate these skills at a district-wide student

leadership conference where they facilitated a

workshop along with their teacher. The students

role-played a conflict scenario, complete with a

demonstration of mediation.

The other elementary school that received

training was Willoughby. Student participants were

selected by the staff for their communication skills

and willingness to help others. After the four days of

training were completed, the students were assigned

playground duties. Every day two student mediators, wearing

orange vests to identify their role, are posted in the playground

where they intervene in conflict situations. Students have been

instructed to go to these peer mediators whenever a problem

arises. The school’s principal reports that they have skilfully

handled any situations sent their way.

Training for Langley Fine Arts and Apex Secondary School

took place again this year during a three-day retreat at the

Chehalis Healing House in Agassiz This is a beautiful location,

located right on the Chehalis River, offering many recreation

opportunities. Over Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the students

and staff learned the basic principles of Restorative Action and

mediation. The weekend was highlighted by a presentation by

Brandon Chernowas, a young man who was involved in a fatal

drinking/driving accident: Brandon was driving the vehicle in

which his girlfriend was killed. The parents of his girlfriend

asked for leniency from the court in sentencing Brandon and

also offered him forgiveness. Brandon shared his story with the

students, offering a powerful message of forgiveness. Because

Brandon and his dad Earl Chernowas were able to spend the

whole weekend participating in the training with the students, it

made it an especially powerful experience for all involved.

Brandon has a natural style and outgoing personality which

made it easy for the young people to connect with him.

This year saw an increase in Smoke Jump interventions

handled by the Educating for Peacbuilding Restorative

Action team (I use the term “team” somewhat lightly as it

consists of only Cristy Watson and myself). The term “Smoke

Jump” is used to describe situations of a serious nature that

require skilled conflict intervention. In each case, an initial

interview was held with the parties involved to discover

T

Educating for Peacebuilding By Dan Basham, Program Coordinator


Page 10

whether or not a face to face meeting would be the best

option. Sometimes bringing the parties together is not the

right thing to do and we always meet with them individually

to assess the situation, and to have their input, prior to

proceeding further. Of the 29 situations in which we were

involved, 18 went to face-to-face mediation. The others

were referred back to either the administration staff or to the

counsellor involved with the original referral.

We were not able to facilitate the number of Restorative

Dialogue Circles that we had hoped to this year, due to

some key individuals being off on leave. However, I worked

with the youth and family worker at Langley Secondary

School to facilitate two series of dialogue circles. The first

was held in the fall and focussed on drugs and alcohol. The

second series focussed on conflict and how to resolve it

peacefully. The circles were very well received by both the

students and the staff.

Walnut Grove Secondary was a new setting for

Restorative Dialogue Circles and, working with the school’s

youth and family worker, we were able to facilitate seven

circles. The students found value in the sessions and all said

they would like to have more. One highlight of the Walnut

Grove Circles was to have a guest musician come and share

her story and original hip-hop music with us. The students

really connected with her! After the circle she went home and

wrote an original piece of music about the experience.

There were some other important highlights worth

mentioning in this report. During the fall we had the privilege of

having a young woman visiting from Uganda, Florence Akello,

participate in two Conversation Peace training sessions.

Florence was in Canada working with the Mennonite Central

Committee, and brought valuable insight to Langley students

as she described the way punishment is handled at schools in

her country. I think that after hearing some of Florence’s stories,

the students in Langley felt they were quite lucky! Florence was

able to take the concepts, skills and ideas she learned in the

training back to her country and said she plans to put them to

good use to make a difference there.

In February, Cristy and I were invited to facilitate a one-

day training with 20 Aboriginal support workers in the

Langley School District. This was a powerful experience for

us—we both felt that we learned more than we taught. This

group of individuals has created a tightly-woven community

where there is much care and love. We could learn a lot

more from them about how to create such an atmosphere

within our workplaces and schools. We look forward to

working more with this group next year.

In March we held a one-day, district-wide Restorative Action

mediator forum. Langley Secondary School was kind enough to

offer the use of a classroom for the proceedings. The day

brought together student mediators from all the secondary

schools in Langley. In the morning, the students shared common

challenges that they were facing in their own schools and

brainstormed solutions to those challenges. These ideas were

gathered together and distributed to the various Restorative

Action Teams in the district where it can be used to strengthen

the program. In the afternoon participants heard a presentation

from Manjit and Suman Virk. The Virks spoke about the events

leading up to the death of their daughter Reena and the

Restorative process they went through with one of the young

people involved in her murder. This was a powerful experience

for the students and they reflected this in their feedback. The

whole day was filmed by Heartspeak Productions and will be

used as a resource for other school districts.

During the year, the project benefited from the assistance

of two Simon Fraser University students who chose to

complete the practicum portion of their education at CJI. Both

Maggie Ng and Brooke Grondahl helped support the project

with their energy, enthusiasm and expertise.

When I think back on the 2008/2009 year, I see that

Restorative Action has taken more steps forward in Langley

School District. I have had the honour to work with very

dedicated people who have taken the values and principles

of Restorative Action into their schools and creatively found

ways of helping it grow. It’s always possible to look forward

and see areas that could use more energy and more time.

However, the past year has been truly memorable for the

amount of good work that has been done. �

Educating for Peacebulding Project

2008/2009 STATISTICS

(April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009)

Restorative Action Training in Langley

Secondary Schools Students 55

Staff 12

Elementary Schools Students 39

Staff 5

Total number of individuals trained: 111

Smoke Jump Interventions 29 situations

90 participants

Restorative Dialogue Circles 14 circles

24 students


Page 11

his i s the f i f th year of

operation for CJI’s

Restorative Youth Services (RYS)

program in the communities of both Surrey

and Langley. A combined initiative between

CJI and partner agencies Pacific

Community Resources Society (PCRS) in

Surrey, and Family and Youth Services

Society (FAYSS) in Langley, RYS consists of

three components: Restorative Community Service

(Surrey/Langley), Community Capacity Development (Langley),

and Mentorship (Langley). The program is funded by the

Ministry for Children and Family Development (MCFD).

RESTORATIVE COMMUNITY SERVICE

I was fortunate to become part of CJI’s team last year and was

excited to see what the days ahead would bring. My

predecessor, Nicky Spires, had set up a great program

focusing on the principles of Restorative Justice and also

securing placement sites in both Langley and Surrey

communities. My goal for the year was to acquaint myself with

partners such as MCFD, PCRS and FAYSS, to find new

placement sites within the community, and to connect with the

youth and help provide them with the resources they needed.

The first placement site I was able to secure was that of

the Valley Therapeutic Riding Association (VTEA). I met with

their volunteer coordinator, Irene Schenk, in April 2008 and

was shown around their great facility. VTEA is a non-profit

charity that provides therapeutic horseback riding for

children and adults with all forms of disabilities, who come

from communities throughout the Lower Mainland. The

volunteer-driven organization is located on a 35-acre farm

and includes an indoor riding arena, a nine-stall barn

complete with tack area, hay and feed storage. It’s

augmented by ample paddocks and pastures for the nine

existing horses, and offers room to grow. Currently they

have 42 clients riding once a week and many more on the

waiting list. Irene and I discussed the requirements of

volunteering with their organization and agreed that the

VTEA would be an inspiring site for youth to complete their

hours. I then spoke to her about a young man who required

a place to fulfill his community service hours but could not

find anything suitable due to the high-profile nature of his

case. Although I could not disclose the details of his

situation, I was able to express to her that he was a nice

young man who was committed to devoting his time to the

VTEA. It was great when she offered to meet with the youth

and said she would help him get started. I accompanied

him to VTEA on several occasions and worked along side

him. He learned a great deal and was humbled while

working with the individuals with disabilities. It is due to the

unbiased contribution of individuals such as Irene that we

are able to help the youth achieve their goals.

Another great experience for me has been helping the

youth, on an individual basis, achieve their goals and help

them continue on a path of integration and commitment.

Working with the Probation officers has also helped me assess

the youth’s individual needs as they are able to provide

detailed information about each individual youth and factors

which may deter them from completing their hours such as; an

unstable home life, substance abuse or a busy schedule with

work and school commitments. When I meet with the youth I

am able to offer them a site which suits their needs but also a

place they are passionate about attending. In the past our

placement sites have fit two criteria; they are non-profit

organizations who do not pay youth for their time; youth give

back to the community but do not benefit monetarily. Although

I continue to send youth to these wonderful and established

sites, situations arise where I need to think “outside the box”.

An example of this was when I met a young man, Tyler,

last fall. He was very determined to complete his hours

T

Restorative Youth Services By Karen Dhillon, Rose Wilson & Carly Hoogeveen, Program Coordinators

Restorative Community Service

2008/2009 STATISTICS

(April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009)

Langley Total cases: 38

Youth currently in-progress: 16

Youth who completed their hours: 19

Youth who did not complete their hours: 3

Successful completion rate: 86%

Surrey Total cases: 144

Youth currently in-progress: 33

Youth who completed their hours: 96

Youth who did not complete their hours: 15

Successful completion rate: 86%


Page 12

however, after looking at placement site options, we quickly

realized it would be difficult for him to attend a volunteer

placement due to his school and work schedule. Tyler and I

decided that perhaps he could make a donation to the

homeless shelter, Front Room. I spoke with his Probation officer

who thought it was a great idea and a great way for him to

give back to those less fortunate. He was excited about this but

concerned about the cost. As Tyler and his mother Roseanna

struggle themselves, I suggested he donate any used items he

could. When I arranged to pick him up with his hamper I was

very impressed. He had gone out of his way to buy food items

such as noodles, soup and cookies but he had also included 7

pairs of mittens and scarves and also some new board games.

I told Tyler I was very proud of his efforts and I could see him fill

with pride. His mom and I also spoke and she was so happy

her son had the option of doing the hamper as she confirmed

what a positive impact it had made. Tyler was successful in

completing in his hours and I believe that the option of the food

hamper is what allowed him to attend his other commitments

but also have a sense of success after completing his

community hours. Restorative Justice principles outline that it is

of utmost importance to help individuals achieve their goals

without compromising existing positive commitments.

During Christmas at CJI, the staff all donated money

towards a gift to be given to a youth/family that were in

need and the amount we raised was matched by our Board.

I kept Tyler and his mom in mind for the gift and was happy

when all the staff agreed to present it to them. I had decided

to give them the Christmas donation because they had

shown the true meaning of the season…to give and share

all that you have. When Tyler and Roseanna were presented

with the gift, a food voucher from Superstore, they were

speechless but very happy. Roseanna assured me that we

had saved Christmas for them

and that this year they would

have a turkey with all the

trimmings! Thank you Board for

your generous contribution, it

truly made this family’s wish

come true.

In the coming year I hope for

the continued support from our

great placement sites and from the

Probation officers as they help us

reach out to youth and provide

them with various options while

completing their hours. I also hope

to continue to inspire youth to see the benefits of the RCS

program; realizing it as an opportunity for true integration in

their community by making a positive change not only in their

lives but in the lives of others.—Karen Dhillon

COMMUNITY CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

Formerly active in the communities of both Surrey and Langley,

in August 2008 CJI was informed that funding for Community

Capacity Development in Surrey was being withdrawn. This

reduction meant that the program coordinator’s position was

cut from 35 hours per week to only 10, and by necessity a

reduction in programming would result.

Inviting Dialogue

2008-2009 saw the last of CJI’s

Inviting Dialogue Public

Presentation Series due to program funding cuts. However, with

the sustained support of Envision Financial we were able to

organize the last two free community events. The first was a free

public workshop entitled “Communicating in Conflict” that took

place in May at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Langley

campus auditorium, and featured CJI’s own trainer, Catherine

Bargen. She spoke about how to “get unstuck” when you face

conflict at home, at work, or in your relationships, and how to

develop practical skills to navigate through conflict to more

meaningful interactions with others, even when things feel tough.

The second presentation, entitled “Shattering”, took place in

October at HD Stafford Middle School. “Shattering” is an

interactive, improvisational stage performance by Headlines

Theatre, directed by David Diamond. It treats the issue of

addiction with a hard-hitting presentation followed by an

audience-interactive process. The title describes how individuals,

families and communities shatter as a result of addiction. The

eye-opening performance is

created and performed by people

who have struggled with addiction

and was well received by an

audience of nearly 200 people.

Inviting Dialogue events have

been a great way of raising CJI’s

profile in the community while

delivering valuable information

and bringing people together. It is

with regret that we have now

suspended the Inviting Dialogue

presentations due to the reduction

in program funding.


Page 13

The Little Black Book

This pocket-sized guide to youth

resources in Langley, Surrey, Delta and

now White Rock, has once again been a

huge success! It is important for youth to be

aware of services available to them in their

community, and The Little Black Book

delivers this information in a way they can

easily access and understand. Given the

overwhelming amount of positive feedback,

as well as the numerous requests for more

copies of the booklet, we feel it beneficial to

continue this project for the sake of the

youth in our communities.

In 2008, The Little Black Book was expanded to include

the White Rock area. We distributed copies free of charge,

to community agencies, service providers, community

policing, institutions that serve youth, and secondary as well

as elementary schools. Many recipients expressed their

tremendous gratitude and appreciation for such an

important resource.

In total, 13,000 copies of The Little Black Book were

printed in September 2008, with printing costs covered by

the generous support from the City of Langley and from the

Lions Clubs of North Surrey, Newton, Delta/Scottsdale,

North Delta, Cloverdale, Aldergrove and Walnut Grove.

Despite cuts to Community Capacity Development, we

receive continued financial support from Pacific Community

Resources to assist us to produce this valuable resource.

Burnaby Youth Custody Centre Workshops CJI’s partnership with Partners in Learning (PIL) to present

monthly workshops at the Burnaby Youth Custody Centre

continues to be beneficial. PIL’s mentorship program

facilitates residents of Ferndale Institution (a minimum

security institution) in mentoring youth in alternative schools

and at the Burnaby Youth Custody Center (BYCC).

Working together with PIL coordinator Susan

Underwood and the team of mentors, CJI Restorative Youth

Services staff are able to bring awareness about community

resources to young people who are in custody. We also

facilitate dialogue about changes that can be made in the

community to respond to the needs of youth who require the

assistance of community services and resources.

There are never enough words to describe the experience

of facilitating circles at the BYCC. It is always an incredible

experience as we share a circle with youth in custody, as well as

with mentors from Ferndale and from the community. We all

share similar goals and objectives, and through sharing our

opinions and experiences, as well as listening to what the youth

have to say, we provide an experiential learning process that is

safe and conducive to personal growth.

A common interest generally shared by all facilitators

is the wellbeing of young people. The hope is for this circle

process to inspire internal change among the youth in

custody through dialogue about the negative realities that

institutionalization can lead to. Mentors from Ferndale

provide stories and opportunities for open dialogue about

various topics based on their prison experience and discuss

how they have created opportunities to change their life

paths to be more positive and healthy despite the many

barriers with which they are faced.

We are grateful for the opportunity to make these

connections with young people that are at high risk of falling

into the institutional cycle and hope to continue to grow and

expand the endless possibilities that emerge from initiatives

such as this.

MENTORSHIP This year CJI had the pleasure of hosting two exceptional

practicum students from Simon Fraser University’s

Criminology Department. Maggie Ng (fall 2008) and

Brooke Grondahl (spring 2009). Both worked

enthusiastically to support Restorative Youth Services as

well as lend a hand with the Educating for Peacebuilding

Project. As part of their university education, these students

take part in practicum placements in the community to

learn about working life in their area of study while they

earn credits toward their degree. For each of their three-

month practicum terms, Maggie and Brooke worked along

side staff to help with the success of CJI’s programs.

Both students were able to utilize their knowledge in the

field of Restorative Justice and put theory into practice within

the programs at CJI. In addition to mentoring youth working to

complete their community service hours, the students

conducted intake interviews and facilitated dialogue circles.

The importance of their work as mentors cannot be

underestimated. By offering simple support to a youth who may

be struggling for a variety of reasons, they can make a huge

difference in the life of that young person.

CJI has been fortunate to benefit from the assistance

and energy these practicum students bring to the agency

and we look forward to working with and getting to know

more of them in the coming year. �


Page 14

his two-year project, now reaching its

conclusion, was administered by CJI

in collaboration with the South Fraser Region Child and

Youth Committee (CYC). Initially conceived as a nine-month

pilot project, CJI obtained funding from the Vancouver

Foundation to extend it to two years. The project is based on

the 40 Developmental Assets identified by the Search

Institute. These building blocks of development help youth

grow up healthy, caring and responsible. To read more, visit

www.search-institute.org.

The project’s main goal was to implement the

Asset Building philosophy at three pilot agencies in

Langley, Surrey and Delta. The Delta Police

Department, Crescent Beach Community Services,

and the Township of Langley were identified based on

their interest in being involved in the project and their

commitment to fostering the healthy development of

young people in their communities. The objective was

to have these agencies act as catalysts to spread the

40 Developmental Assets philosophy throughout their

communities.

Over the course of the two years, CJI

conducted workshops and information sessions for the

pilot sites, providing resources to help them foster the values and

principles of the 40 Developmental Assets framework.

Additionally, CJI developed an on-line toolkit that can be

accessed to learn more about the Developmental Assets

philosophy as well as concrete ideas for building assets for and

with young people. The toolkit is part of the CJI website

(www.cjibc.org) and has been linked to agencies throughout

North America.

In December 2008, each pilot agency was

offered the opportunity to plan and organize an

Asset Building wrap-up event with a $1000 contribution from

CJI’s project funding. Each community had different needs and

each agency had different priorities, so there were varied

responses as to how the money should be spent. In April 2009,

Crescent Beach Community Services wrapped up the project

with a presentation by youth advocate Keith Pattinson to the

community. The Township of Langley’s Youth Advisory

Committee is in the planning stages of an arts and

music event that will take place in June 2009. And

although the Delta Police Department has yet to

confirm its intentions, there have been many

partnerships formed and ideas underway to connect

law enforcement officers with youth to organize a joint

training session on Asset Building.

One of the most valuable experiences of the

project has been the opportunity to meet many youth

and adults who continuously work to make our

communities healthier places. It has been a truly

inspirational journey to connect with so many people

dedicated to the Asset Building philosophy (whether

they know it or not), and who live and breathe positive

values. Thanks go to each representative from the pilot agencies

for their enthusiasm and support: Mark Butler of the Delta Police,

Penny Bradley of Crescent Beach Community Services, and

Lesley Visser of the Township of Langley. Special thanks go to

Keith Pattinson for his great contribution to the positive, healthy

development of youth, not only in our communities but across

North America. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair

broken men.”—Frederick Douglass �

Asset Building Project By Carly Hoogeveen, Project Coordinator

“The 40

Developmental

Assets are common

sense experiences

and qualities that

help influence choices

young people

make and help them

become caring,

responsible adults.”

—The Search

Institute

T

ASSETS IN ACTION In the final phase of this project, each pilot site was granted $1,000 to fund a wrap-up event in their community. The

Township of Langley’s Youth Advisory Committee demonstrated great enthusiasm to organize an event that they, as a

committee, would plan and host. They decided they wanted to highlight, in positive ways, the differences between them,

and the theme they ultimately chosen was “Celebrating Our Differences through Arts and Music”. As a committee they are

organizing a battle of the bands and an art exhibition that will be held in Fort Langley in June. Through the process of

organizing the event, the Youth Advisory Committee has made strong partnerships with agencies such as the Langley Arts

Council, and as a result, the event may become an annual one with support of the Arts Council in collaboration with other

partners. This event truly encompasses Asset Building values and principles in the most profound way: by empowering

young people and providing them with the tools to build Assets, both for themselves and other youth in their community.


Page 15

The past year has been exceptional in terms of the

expansion of youth projects in Langley, and more

importantly the expansion of relationships between

community stakeholders. The Langley Youth Committee

Project is a one-year pilot that was initiated in June 2008

with support from the Ministry for Children and Family

Development (MCFD). The purpose of the project has been

to work with the existing Langley Child and Youth

Committee (CYC) to enhance the effectiveness of the CYC’s

Youth Subcommittee and to focus on the needs of young

people in Langley. The first goal has been to identify the

current needs of youth, and second to address their needs

through collaborative efforts between community partners.

CJI proposed that the best way to learn about

the needs of young people in the community

would be to simply ask them! We felt that

dialogue circles would be an appropriate

approach, bringing young people in various

Langley neighbourhoods together for safe and

meaningful interactions to explore the issues

directly affecting them.

The concept of the youth dialogue circles was

developed with the values and principles of both

Restorative Justice as well as the 40 Developmental Assets in

mind. In addition, the facilitation style was modeled from the

Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) model. AVP is a

worldwide association which utilizes experiential workshops

to enhance conflict resolution skills, communication skills,

and personal growth among participants. The goal of the

dialogue circles is to maintain confidentiality in a non-

judgmental setting, with entirely voluntary participation.

A four-day workshop on Teen Talking Circles in nearby

Washington State couldn’t have come at a better time!

Participation in this workshop generated energy and

increased insight into ways to build a program that could

encompass many varied ideas, concepts and principles.

One valued practice learned from the workshop was

Compassionate Listening philosophy and the practice of

connecting to our individual “core essence” while working

and connecting with others, both as a facilitator and as a

participant in the circle process.

Youth circles were initiated in October 2008 and as of

April 2009, had been facilitated at four separate locations

around the Langley area. Circles were organized in both

community and school settings, and allowed the needs of

young people to be identified through open dialogue as well

as through structured activities. Discussions ranged from

what young people like about their community to what they

don’t like. We also explored more specific issues around

violence, substance use, transportation, safety, and other

problems having negative impacts in the various Langley

communities. We were able to clarify why certain programs

work and why some do not. These conversations re-affirmed

what this work is all about. Young people are the experts on

their own needs, and as service providers we need to listen

to what they have to say. They are insightful, reflective, and

provide valuable opinions and ideas about issues that are

important to them.

Key to this project has been the development

and expansion of the Langley CYC’s Youth

Subcommittee. This group is comprised of

practitioners from the social service sector and is

aimed at identifying issues facing youth and at

developing strategies to address these issues.

Throughout the year there has been a slow and

steady growth in the number of participants

through the active recruitment of individuals

interested in youth issues and committed to helping make

improvements to resources and services. With enhanced

and expanded committee membership, the needs of young

people as expressed through the dialogue circles could then

be provided directly to the people who have the capacity

and resources to make changes happen.

The highlight of this project, apart from working with

young people in the dialogue circles, has definitely been the

connections made with like-minded individuals in the

community who are dedicated to developing healthier

communities for children and youth. The strongest of these

connections has been with the Aldergrove Community

Secondary School staff and students. Time spent with them

in the Aldergrove community has offered much insight over

the course of the year.

As the project begins to draw to a close, we look

forward to coordinating a Youth Strategies Workshop where

practitioners and youth will come together to work on

making Langley a more supportive, nurturing place for

young people. No doubt this workshop will be the source of

more great new partnerships. �

Youth Committee Project By Carly Hoogeveen, Project Coordinator

Young people are the

experts on their own

needs, and as service

providers we need to listen to what they have to say.


Page 16

ver most of the last many years I’ve written up a case-

study as part of the VOMP report, simply because stories

communicate so much more powerfully than statistics, no

matter how impressive the tables. This year, as Sandi Bergen

and I chatted en route back from a number of meaningful

meetings packed into one day, she suggested that we try to

provide pictures for our membership (and any of our readers)

about our frequent experience of profoundly ‘graced

moments’: things that so often transpire between VOMP

program participants which make manifest the transformations

and transcending that are part of the healing for them. I

thought it was a great, maybe even a ‘graced’ idea.

Grace: a fascinating concept. It takes some doing to

‘sound’ it to its depths. It always helps, I believe, to define

one’s terms, so I’ll try to start there. The myriad contexts in

which the word grace is used help clarify its many meanings.

I recently heard the word sung so beautifully it stopped me

in my tracks: Josh Groban’s incredible tenor voice painting

a picture of the beloved, “Even her shadow has grace.”

Nice. The meaning is unmistakeable. It takes little

imagination to see what the

songwriter was seeing or

imagining, certainly something

along the lines of one of the

definitions: “elegance and

beauty of movement, form,

expression or proportion.”

When we enter a quite

different realm of human

relationships, however (the

realm of victim-offender

relationships), the definition of

grace and its myriad meanings

move from clear and

unmistakeable to quite

mysterious, even to very easily

misunderstood. In a world that

so often demands its ‘pound of

flesh’, the idea that a victim of

serious criminal harms would

ever grant grace: “mercy;

clemency”, to the one who

harmed them, can be more

than unfamiliar. To some, it

may even seem very wrong to do, or simply stupidly naïve.

Such folk are likely to be getting off the ‘Grace train’, long

before it approaches the destinations our work often reaches

and even, to some degree, defines.

But the list of definitions goes deeper yet, into the realm

of spiritual birth and rebirth. The eighth definition in our list

(see citation on page 18) is most difficult to apprehend, yet

it is most easily attained. There is only one way to get it: by

being gifted with it. And that is precisely what we so often

are privileged to see—not only with God as giver of the gifts

of grace and mercy, but humans who, with or without beliefs

rooted in any particular faith community, find it within

themselves to offer “free and unmerited favour” to another.

In many cases, that grace is offered to the very person

responsible for doing them and their loved ones

immeasurable harm. It is quite staggering to witness this. It

becomes no less so with each new expression, over time. I’ll

share with you just a few of the pictures that played out in

our memories as we listed them in turn, each one part of the

culmination of a VOMP program process.

A month ago we watched

as Cheryl, a family survivor of

homicide (the murder of her

brother) offered to Kathleen,

the woman who in rage had

taken his life, an Eagle

feather, powerfully symbolic

in the First Nations lore they

share as traditional women.

They were presenting

together, at an Aboriginal

Justice Conference, their

individual stories and the

processes we had facilitated

that brought them to a new

place of healing and

transcending. Cheryl had

explained that, at the end of

the healing circle two years

earlier, she had risen from the

circle to ‘blanket’ Kathleen,

wrapping her in a ceremonial

blanket and saying: “we are

members of one race; I

Victim Offender Mediation Program (VOMP) By David L. Gustafson, Co-Director

O

2008/2009 VOMP STATISTICS

Referrals accepted April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009:............................. 42

Active cases in process as of March 31, 2009: ...... 95

Victim Contacts........................................................768 (telephone, written, in-person; includes support, therapy and after care)

Offender Contacts ...................................................235 (mainly in person at institutions; also includes telephone and written contacts)

CSC Contacts............................................................804 (case-relevant telephone, written and in-person contacts with various Corrections Service Canada personnel)

Other contacts ..........................................................581 (directly related to active cases)

Face-to-face Victim Offender Mediation Dialogue meetings...................................................... 11

Cases which underwent significant work ............... 83


Page 17

forgive you”; “we are members of one family; I forgive you”;

“we are sisters, I forgive you….” The conference

presentation ended in a standing ovation for them. The only

fitting way to close the session was for all of the conference

attendees to join hands in a circle and invite an Elder to

lead us in a closing prayer of thanksgiving. Many, powerfully

graced moments were experienced by all that day.

I’ll never forget, at the close of his first meeting with the

man who took the life of his sister, the quiet spoken,

circumspect (and by now, beloved by us, and many) Robert,

gently pushing the prized university graduation portrait of his

sister, signed by her to him, across the table to the man

responsible for so much pain, saying, softly “I want you to

have this. It is my only copy, and I would like to have it back

once you finally are paroled. Until then, please keep it safe.

If I were ever to have to retrieve one material possession

from my home if it were burning, it would be that.” “I need

you to remember her; what I lost….” “And, I’d like you to

remember today, and what transpired between us as we met

with one another.” A graced moment. Deep and abiding

healing began that day. These men have met together five

times now, each time with greater depth, each time issuing

each of them into new degrees of freedom and a place of

remarkable transparency with one another. Graced

moments, multiplied over many months. Robert, as he

explores his own emerging new vocation, graces many

people in turn: the deeply wounded one has become a

healer in his own right. He has witnessed many graced

moments, as he devotes himself to the service of others,

including the trauma survivors’ group we’ve recently started.

He will witness many, many more.

I often wonder at the capacity of some to go so deeply

into the realm of forgiveness that it sounds as though, when

we attempt to share the stories, we must be spinning

apocryphal tales. Surely these things cannot be true. We

sometimes wonder at them ourselves, only to see yet

another played out before our eyes. Many years ago,

Debbie K’s son, Kris, was beginning to slip deeply into a

schizophrenic nightmare, one that created on-going

nightmares for others for a decade and a half. Ultimately, in

a desperately confused and terrified state, Kris attempted to

release Debbie’s two youngest children from the pain he

believed they were in, by taking their lives. He then struggled

with Debbie, wounding her to the point that it is miraculous

that she survived. She played ‘dead’ to escape.

Years later, when Kris was stabilized, had

demonstrated his ability to participate meaningfully in

VOMP and had the support of a fine psychiatrist at the

prison where he was incarcerated, Debbie decided to

participate in VOMP in hopes of getting answers to scores

of unanswered questions. Debbie describes her first

meeting with Kris, saying:

That meeting put me within sight of the off ramp of

that healing highway I had gotten on some 12 years

earlier. The Kris I met that day was nervous of

course. But he wanted to help me complete my

healing journey and was willing to be honest with

me. A hard day for both of us, I’m sure, ended on a

positive note. He, with the gift of a Mars bar in hand

and tears in his eyes, and me with information that

would return a pair of earrings given to me upon

the birth of Stuart, my first born, taken from my ears

that fateful night; and a fearsome headache. I had

a lot to think about, as I’m sure he did too. It was a

day I wouldn’t trade for anything.

The Mars bar was one Debbie had purchased from a

vending machine in the entry to the building in the prison

where we met. It sounds like a very minor thing. But it wasn’t

to Kris. It was a meaningful symbol that spoke volumes, as

Debbie intended it to. When Kris was a child, Debbie would

often buy him a Mars candy bar, his favourite, when he

accompanied her on shopping trips. He seldom asked for

much other than this, his favoured treat. When Debbie slid

this one across the table to him as the afternoon session of

a day-long meeting began, Kris got the message. He hadn’t

been sure how to address her, but ‘Mom’ had closed the

gap with a simple gesture. When Kris acknowledged that he

had struggled with how he was going to address her,

Debbie replied, “It’s always been Mom, Kris, it’s the only

thing that fits…” Kris kept the Mars bar in a fridge for

months, a simple symbol given him by Debbie that it was

okay to call her ‘Mom’ again.

Two years later Debbie had another meeting with Kris.

At the end of this second meeting, one marked with

tremendous openness, transparency, candour and caring,

Kris and his mom rose from the chairs we had circled.

Without a moment’s awkwardness, Debbie moved toward

Kris and put her arms around him. The years were swept

away. Pain was eclipsed by a quality of love so deep it

almost defies description. As Kris relaxed into Debbie’s hug,

appearing weak-at-the-knees at this offering of grace,

almost falling into it, the tears began to flow. Their courage,


Page 18

their hard work, motivated by desire to heal individually and

in relation to one another, had given them what they had

hoped when they entered the VOMP process two years

before. The embrace was simply an outward expression of

the inner healing and reconciliation, a graced moment that

clearly communicated: “You are welcome ‘home’ again”:

home IS where the heart is, and there is a place for you,

despite all that has transpired, as my son, in my heart.”

A short time later, Debbie read her Victim Impact

Statement at Kris’s parole hearing. She spoke of their VOMP

meetings and how healing these had been for both of them,

then continued with this:

Which brings us to my presence here today. I

am not here to cry about the past or rant and rave

about how this man ruined my life. The fact is that

no matter what I say or do today, or any other day,

it will not erase the scars I bear and it will not bring

my children back. Whatever people they would

have been are gone forever. I will not see them

graduate high school, get married, or welcome their

children into my arms as my grandchildren. My

children got a death sentence and my family got a

sentence of life without their presence. Nothing can

change that. What can be changed is the current

state of Kris’ healing and the penalty the taxpayer is

paying in keeping him here. He has done all the

right things while incarcerated, has finally received

the mental health care I never knew he needed, has

accepted responsibility and apologized for his

actions, and lost the best years of his life. What

would be gained by keeping him here any longer?

I feel strongly that he is ready to return to life

outside these walls and get on with the process of

becoming a contributing member of society. Society

is not better served by keeping him here.

Has my life been dramatically affected by this

crime? Yes. Have I forgiven him for what he did? I

not sure I can, but I have accepted it.

Kris had issues going on that I had no idea

about that have now been addressed. He

understands his condition and I firmly believe that

this incident was a one-time event, acted out by a

young man in a lot of inner turmoil. No one other

than his family was ever at risk, and that family has

come to support him today in the belief that his

actions will not be repeated, ever.

When Sandi and I listed the examples of graced moments

that came to mind we came up with many others, in just a

few minutes. A few of them vie for mention:

When Harry’s mother was murdered in her home

by a drug addicted young man, Harry drove to the

northern tip of Vancouver Island as soon as the

young man’s identity (and responsibility) was

known for certain. He went to meet the young

man’s family, certain that they, too, would be

devastated, and in pain. They were wary, at first,

not certain of Harry’s intent. He made clear that

he had not come in search of vengeance, but of

healing. Harry’s grace and graciousness was

clear, then, and since. Years later, Harry met with

the young man responsible through VOMP. His

dear wife told us recently, “You’ve given Harry his

life back—he now lives each day to the full, looks

forward to the future, and I have my husband

back.” Curtis, the young man, now looks forward

to the future too, and to Harry’s visits. Harry now

visits Curtis in prison, almost weekly, where they

grace each other’s lives in unmistakeable ways.

Simone Weil, the French philosopher, mystic, writer (and, I

would add, theologian) writes as profoundly of Grace as

anyone in the English Language. She speaks of grace

offered to another in this way: “The love of our neighbour in

all its fullness simply means being able to say... ‘What are

you going through?’”

It takes a bit of ‘cheek’ for me to suggest a gloss on

the thought of someone as brilliant as Simone Weil, but I

suspect, given awareness of much of her writing, that she

would concur with this suggestion: Fullness of love is not

only to ask the question, “What are you going through?”

but to be willing to stay, fully present, in all that might

require of one, perhaps long after we have heard the

answer. In VOMP, and in all good trauma healing

practice, that is precisely what is required. And that, too,

when participants feel safe within the cocoon of

relationship we spin together, is where the graced

moments tend to happen. Grace made manifest by people

to one another, tangible, not-at-all-disembodied grace,

which we are privileged to witness. �

_________________________________

Definitions of the word “grace” accessed from www.wordia.com


Page 19

ife is full of ups and downs. We see it in our personal

lives, our careers, and in the world around us. The life

of an agency, or for that matter a program within an agency,

is no different. This past fiscal year proved to be one of

significant ups and downs for CJI’s Training and Education

Program. The loss of CJI’s on-staff trainer Catherine Bargen,

who departed in November for her new position with the

Province of BC, was a low point. My personal delight for her

achievement was tempered by my concern for the void she

would leave at CJI. However, on the upside, one of CJI’s

talented contract trainers, Raj Dhasi, stepped up to the plate

and assisted in maintaining the program while we worked to

re-group. Problem solved… for the moment.

But now what? With Catherine’s departure, CJI found

itself in a position to review its training program and put

some thought into just what it would take to re-vitalize and

re-energize it; to reverse what felt like a gradual downward

trend. CJI’s training expertise is respected throughout the

Restorative Justice community and beyond. It has offered

innovative sessions taught by capable instructors who have

the insight of hands-on, practical experience, and it has also

developed valuable print resources that are in use around

the world. For the past several years, public training classes

have been an important part of CJI’s training mix and, along

with contract training, a valuable source of revenue.

However, over recent times interest in these public sessions

had shrunk, and while requests for training by outside

agencies continued to trickle through the door, it seemed

like there was untapped potential for CJI’s training program

to really take off. The questions was, how?

To address the issue, at a retreat in January CJI staffers

put on their thinking caps and came to a unanimous

conclusion: what was needed was a new staff person—a

trainer who could bring needed energy, enthusiasm,

experience and expertise to the training program. As noted

in the Co-Director’s report, that very person appeared as if

out of nowhere within days, and while the fiscal year drew to

a close before his arrival at CJI, it feels as though we are on

the upswing toward a training program that will sustain CJI’s

solid reputation and that has the potential to take off in

fresh, new directions.

So it is with optimism that I look forward to the year

ahead and to my role in helping bring CJI’s Training and

Education Program to new heights. One project that was

started in 2008 and is still in the works is a new publication

that focuses on CJI’s Educating for Peacebuilding Project in

the Langley School District. Interest in how the project was

conceived, developed and maintained has been expressed

time and time again by training participants and others.

Catherine Bargen has agreed to continue the work of writing

a short book on the topic, something she undertook while

still on staff but was unable to complete before her

departure, and we look forward to its publication in the

coming months. It will be a valuable resource for school

districts, education professionals and others interested in

implementing their own in-school Restorative Justice

program. It will also enhance CJI’s training program as a

“how to” guide to supplement school-based Restorative

Justice training. Its publication will definitely be an “up”

moment—one of many that are doubtless yet to come. �

L

Training & Education By Debbie Strong, CJI Training Coordinator

CJI’S Partnership with

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

For the past four years, CJI has maintained a

partnership with Kwantlen Polytechnic University. CJI’s

public training workshops have been delivered at the

Conference Centre at the Richmond campus, and in

return, CJI has offered tuition discounts to KPU

students and staff. CJI would like to express continued

gratitude to the administration and staff at KPU,

including Robert Adamoski and Linda Siemens for their

assistance in supporting this partnership

CJI Welcomes Korean

Restorative Justice Practitioners

In June a group of Restorative Justice practitioners from Korea made a week-long stop in Langley for the opportunity to learn about CJI’s school program. Catherine Bargen, assisted by various CJI staff, worked to make the stop an interesting and informative one by presenting a series of workshops, utilizing a classroom at Trinity Western University for the purpose. Despite language and cultural barriers, the delegates from Korea enjoyed the workshops and took both new-found knowledge and training materials home with them.


Page 20

Training, Technical Assistance, Conferences

CJI staff provided training, presentations

and technical assistance at a wide variety

of venues during 2008-2009. Fees

earned bring valuable revenue to CJI and

staff have opportunities to impact the

thinking, values, principles and practice

of others. Staff also attended conferences

and workshops, allowing them to share

and learn with others involved in

Restorative Justice and related fields.

APRIL 2008

Victim Awareness Week Presentation April 1, Abbotsford, BC Presenter: D. Gustafson

Restorative Action Workshop April 7, Nanaimo, BC Presenter: D. Basham

Advanced Training in Restorative Justice April 9-12, Edmonton, AB Trainer: D. Gustafson

Edmonton Mediation & RJ Centre Annual General Meeting April 10, Edmonton, AB Keynote Speaker: D. Gustafson

Restorative Justice Workshop April 10-11, Cranbrook, BC Presenter: C. Bargen

Victim Forum April 16, Abbotsford BC Presented: D. Gustafson & S Bergen

Restorative Action Workshop April 25, Cranbrook, BC Presenter: D. Basham

Victim Offender Mediation training April 26, Abbotsford, BC Trainer: P. Penner

MAY 2008

Talking Peace Public Training May 5-6, Richmond, BC Trainer: C. Bargen

“Voices from Within” Forum May 9, Surrey, BC Attended: K. Dhillon

Soroptimist Conference May 10, Surrey, BC

Attended: K. Dhillon

Conversation Peace Public Training May 12-14, Richmond, BC Trainer: C. Bargen

Dr. Peter Centre: RJ Workshop May 22, Vancouver, BC Presenter: C. Bargen

Forum on Resilient Youth May 26, Vancouver, BC Attended: D. Basham

JUNE 2008

Restorative Justice Workshops for Korean Delegation June 16-19, Langley, BC Trainer: C. Bargen with CJI Staff

AUGUST 2008

Dr. Peter Centre: RJ Workshop August 21, Vancouver, BC Trainer: C. Bargen

SEPTEMBER 2008

Teen Talking Circles Training September 4-6, Bainbridge Is., WA Participated: C. Hoogeveen

Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Aboriginal Education Conference September 8-10, Orillia, ON Consulted/Presented: D. Gustafson

Leave Out Violence (LOVE) AGM September 15, Vancouver, BC Attended: K. Dhillon

Surrey Urban Youth Presentation September 17, Surrey, BC Attended: K. Dhillon

Restorative Justice Presentations September 17-19, Cranbrook, BC Presenter: D. Gustafson

Dr Peter Centre: RJ Workshop September 18, Vancouver, BC Presenter: C. Bargen

Peacemaking Circles Training September 26, Surrey, BC Participated: C. Hoogeveen

Safe Schools Institute Open House September 26, Abbotsford, BC Attended: D. Basham

OCTOBER 2008

Restorative Action Training October 23-24, Cranbrook, BC Trainer: C. Bargen

NOVEMBER 2008

CYC Youth Resource Fair November 5, Langley, BC Attended: C. Hoogeveen

Restorative Action Training November 13-14 & 27-28, Surrey, BC Trainer: D. Hale

NOVEMBER 2008 cont’d

RJ Week Public Forum November 18, Vancouver, BC Attended: C. Hoogeveen

Restorative Opportunities Gathering & RJ Symposium November 17-21, Kitchener, ON Attended: D. Gustafson & S. Bergen

Grade 9 Conference Workshops November 24-25, Vancouver, BC Facilitators: R. Dhasi, N. Spires, J. Suttor-Doerksen

Keith Pattinson Presentation November 24, Delta, BC Attended: C. Hoogeveen

Surrey Urban Youth Presentation November 28, Surrey, BC Attended: K. Dhillon

JANUARY 2009

Restorative Action Presentations January 14, Chilliwack, BC Presenter: R. Dhasi

Conversation Peace Training January 19 & February 12, Chilliwack, BC Trainer: R. Dhasi

Inviting Dialogue Training Jan.-Mar. (various dates), Abbotsford, BC Trainer: P. Penner

FEBRUARY 2009

MCFD Regional Conference February 4-5, Abbotsford, BC Co-presenter: C. Hoogeveen

VOMP Training for Aboriginal Elders & Restorative Opportunities Practitioners February 9-14, Edmonton, AB Attended: D. Gustafson & S. Bergen

Leave Out Violence (LOVE) Fundraiser February 19, Vancouver, BC Attended: K. Dhillon

Building Communities of Hope February 26, New Westminster, BC Attended: C. Hoogeveen & K. Dhillon

MARCH 2009

Aboriginal Justice Conference March 4-5, Vancouver, BC Presented: D. Gustafson & S. Bergen

Community Mental Health Forum March 10, Mission, BC Attended: C. Hoogeveen

Victim Offender Mediation Training March 17-20, Regina, SK Trainer: R. Dhasi

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