News & Announcements
Creating Community with Public Art
Current IIRP graduate student, Joseph Iacona, is Senior Manager of the Mural Arts Institute at Mural Arts Philadelphia. In this role, he works with artists, arts administrators, and community leaders across the world to align knowledge, amplify voices, empower change, and distribute resources designed to create a more inclusive and equitable future for socially engaged public art. At its core, his role is about building connections, sharing skills, and sustaining relationships. This work creates space for reflection and critical questions that inspire change and lead artists and art organizations to center their communities in how they approach their work. In this role, he works with artists, arts administrators, and community leaders across the world to align knowledge, amplify voices, empower change, and distribute resources designed to create a more inclusive and equitable future for socially engaged public art.
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The IIRP is proud to introduce six new members to our Board of Trustees in 2023. The IIRP Board of Trustees are holders of the organizational trust and mission. Our trustees bring many different perspectives and experiences from fields such as law, higher education, faith, public education, private foundations, government relations, management, and child welfare, which mirror the numerous arenas where restorative practices are being implemented.
The IIRP Graduate School announces the latest issue in the Presidential Paper Series. A Restorative Practices Strategy to Advance Community Health is written by Dr. Gina Baral Abrams, Associate Professor and Director of Research and Program Evaluation.
In this paper, the evolution of the community health field is traced, leading up to the recent U.S. Surgeon General’s report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation. The author suggests that, in addition to the work that has been done to identify key factors and dynamics, it is necessary to focus explicitly on how we strengthen relationships and community. Integrating principles from the social-ecological model, a new model is presented to describe how restorative practices can be used to advance community health goals.
The IIRP is seeking a Provost experienced in developing robust educational programs, knowledgeable of restorative practices, committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and excited to work with us to expand our graduate curriculum.
We are living in a world filled with words that divide; some are blatantly inflammatory, while others are far more subtle. What gives hope living amidst wars, disasters, and violence are the people who use words to remind us of our shared humanity. Restorative practitioners choose words that seek nuance, facilitate empathy, articulate common ground, and prompt creative solutions.
The IIRP Graduate School is excited to announce the debut of our Restorative Works! podcast, hosted by Claire de Mézerville López, M.Ed., M.S..
Claire is a licensed psychologist from UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica). She holds a Master in Education with an emphasis on cognitive development from ITESM (Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, México). She also earned a Master of Science in Restorative Practices from the IIRP Graduate School. She is an associate professor at Universidad de Costa Rica, and has experience as a therapist, researcher, and consultant. Claire has published papers on adolescence, restorative practices, resilience and educational psychology.
The IIRP Graduate School announces the latest issue in the Presidential Paper Series. Creating Cultural Change in Education: Implementation Science and Human Capital Theory is written by Keith Hickman, Vice President of Partnerships.
Using a decade of experience implementing restorative practices into K–12 through the Whole-School Change Program, combined with research from Johns Hopkins and RAND, Keith argues that two additional resources could be used to improve results. Implementation science can ensure that the program is enacted with fidelity and a human capital framework can maximize resources and provide sustainability. He explains how their use could result in co-created strategic plans, additional identified resources, data monitoring, and evaluation.
In this issue:
- The Questions We Ask Matter.
- Impacting Community: "Walking to With" in Wichita Public Schools
- Impacting Higher Education: The Collaborative Center for Restorative Practices in Higher Education
- The Historic Appointment of the IIRP’s Third President
- Kansas City Museum Tells the Whole Story
- Expanding the Impact of Restorative Practices in Canada
- Weekend Citizenship Program Teaches 21st Century Competencies
- and more...
Lehigh Valley, PA - November 16, 2022 – From January 25-27, the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) will host its online 2023 World Conference. During the three-day event, participants will experience a mix of live panel discussions, interactive breakout sessions, and music and art presentations, as well as research poster presentations and community exhibitor booths. Additionally, live panels will be interpreted into Spanish, Portuguese, and French in real time. Key topics include explorations in the role restorative practices plays in environmental justice, school and workplace challenges, and intergenerational cooperation that can bring global transformation.
The Judicial Drug Treatment Monitoring Program being implemented by the municipal government in Bogotá, Colombia, uses a restorative approach to justice by attending to victims, providing evidence-based medical treatment to participants, and encouraging reparations for damages caused. A delegation from the U.S. government supporting this initiative included Todd D. Robinson, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Rahul Gupta, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Peter Natiello, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. In August 2022 they participated in a hearing of the Judicial Follow-up Program for Drug Treatment to observe the program’s outcomes.
Restorative Works Year in Review 2024 (PDF)
All our donors are acknowledged annually in Restorative Works.
