Conferences & Symposia

Detroit Conference 1

Thank you to all those who made the IIRP World Conference a phenomenal experience! The combination of panelists, speakers, and attendees led to the sharing of ideas, meaningful dialogue, and practical application of restorative practices in a multitude of settings.

Hear directly from some of the conference speakers and attendees on what they walked away with from the conference.

IIRP World Conference Highlight Video

Thank You to Our
Plenary Session Panelists

Abdul-Malik Muhammad, Ed.D.
Founder & CEO, Akoben LLC
Hedda van Lieshout
Managing Director, Eigen Kracht Centrale
Glenn North
Director of Inclusive Learning & Creative Impact, Kansas City Museum
Percy Ray Ballard, M.D.
Psychiatrist & Medical Director of Black Therapists Rock
Kenyatta Stephens
CEO, Black Family Development, Inc.
Josh Landon
Anchor/Reporter, FOX 2 News, Detroit
Shawn Dove
Managing Partner, New Profit & Founder, Corporation for Black Male Achievement
Denise Smith
Collective Action Consultant
Lynette Wright
Director, Wayne County Children Services
Darian Smith
Director, Safer Communities International
Christopher Plum, Ph.D.
CEO, GPS Solutions
Trisha N. Tinsley
Instructor and Implementation Coach for the IIRP
Gayle Desmeules
Founder and CEO of True Dialogue Inc.
Lynne Lang, MHM, MRP
Founder and Executive Director, Restoration Matters
Ryan B. Hertz, MSW
President & CEO, Lighthouse

This year’s conference was centered around what it takes to create thriving communities with a focus on three key areas:

  • Family matters – Families are the core of every thriving community! A community is at its best when its families and citizens have access to physically and environmentally safe neighborhoods, emotional tools and support to nurture healthy relationships, affordable housing, healthy food, and opportunities to help sustain the community by giving back. We will discuss how the use of restorative practices can help make these things possible.
  • Collaboration matters – Healthy communities are places where families and residents actively engage with their schools and governmental, policing, justice, human services, healthcare, non-profit, philanthropic, corporate, and faith-based agencies. We will examine how a restorative practices framework can aid in aligning school and agency leaders with resources to create synergies that enhance the quality of life in the communities they serve.
  • Faith Matters – 84% of the world’s population identifies with a faith system according to the Pew Research Center. We will explore how different faith systems view the impact restorative practices have on promoting thriving communities and responding to harm when it occurs.

Past World Conferences and Symposia

Click a link below to view information and papers from past conferences:

Medina Natalie

"It's been very good seeing people doing this all over the world and hearing others' experiences and stories. It's given me motivation to keep going with restorative practices."

Natalie Medina
Panama City, Panama