MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM FOR
COMMUNITY CONFLICT RESOLUTION & RESTORATIVE JUSTICE SERVICES
FY 2007 AWARDS
GunnisonValleyAlliance for Community Restorative Justice, Gunnison, CO $10,000
RJ PROCESSES TO ADDRESS DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
The purpose of thisproject is to develop a restorative justice component in the GunnisonMiddle Schoolto increase safety and communication and a sense of community among thestudent population and to decrease discipline problems related to bullying, physical and verbal assault, and behaviors disruptive to the educational environment. The target population would be those individuals most affected by incidents selected for restorative action. These participants will play an important role in resolving the incident and preventing future harm.Demographic changes have resulted in loss of community and neighborhood connections that have sustained the unique culture of the area for generations. Other factors are migrant or seasonally working parents, immigrant families whose adults speak little or no English in the home, single parent households.The organization will collaborate with the GunnisonMiddle School in providing training, program administration, design/ development and consultation with program stakeholders.Responsibilities for the proposed expansion of restorative services to the GunnisonMiddle School will involve the project director, trained community volunteers and school participants including the Dean of Students, Principal, Counselors and the Community Resource Officer. The group will work during the summer and fall of 2006 to design and develop a program that would meet school needs. Portions of the program will be ready to implement by the start of school with others developing from indicated directions as needed over the school term 2006-2007.Services provided will also be gender specific and culturally appropriate to the target population. Counselors from the local mental health center are currently sponsoring classes at the middle school to teach about roots of violence and how to break the cycle.
SanLuisValley Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program, Alamosa (12th JD) $10,000
TEEN MEDIATION
The ODR grant will provide a heightened investment in parent-teen mediation to bring it to a sustainable level of operation. Special emphasis will be on outreach to referral sources, especially in smaller, outlying communities and supporting and adding volunteers as the program expands The program will target youth 12 – 19 and their parents or guardians, throughout the six-county area in the 18th JD. The parent-teen mediation program is free to youth. The goal of parent-teen mediation is to provide families experiencing the normal range of adolescent conflicts (family stresses, school engagement, issues related to sexuality, substance use, peer concerns, etc.) with mediation to improve family communication and address specific areas of problem-solving. Currently, referrals are agency-to-agency to assist in screening referrals for appropriateness of mediation and to serve families within the context of their existing circles of community support. Referral sources include schools, social service agencies, counselors, churches, law enforcement, juvenile probation and the family court. Referred cases are staffed with the referring professional, followed by individual intake sessions with each relevant family member. Upon agreement to mediate, up to four free joint sessions are arranged in appropriate configurations and at times and places convenient to the family. Bi-lingual English-Spanish mediators are available, as needed.
The Conflict Center, Denver, CO $9,9508-WEEK SKILL BUILDING CLASSES AT WESTHIGH SCHOOL
8-week violence prevention/conflict resolution skill building classes at WestHigh School, a high need school serving some of the most low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods in the City of Denver. Part of a cooperative effort among the Denver Safe City Office, Denver Public Schools, Denver City Attorney’s Office and Denver County Juvenile Court (191J) to create effective links to reduce the number of school suspensions and expulsions and reduce involvement with the juvenile justice system. The project is designed to address physical and verbal fights in schools, with more immediate and effective responses that provide alternatives to suspension and diversion from the juvenile court process. Students who are co-combatants, identified by schools and cited by Denver Police for disturbing the peace, public fighting, threats to persons and unlawful acts at school will be diverted to this project. They will receive individualized needs assessment and supervision (by Denver Safe City Office), have the option of receiving mediation (Denver Public Schools mediator) and will be required to attend skill building classes provided by the ConflictCenter. Youth and their parents will be given the opportunity to have a shortened school suspension time and to avoid court appearances. The project was piloted at MontbelloHigh School with the hope of replicating the program model throughout the metro area. It is currently being expanded to two middle schools, Rachel Knoll and Martin Luther King, that feed into Montbello, utilizing funds from the first round of ODR mini-grants.
Braided River Peace Project, Durango (6th JD & Southern Ute Tribe) $10,000
TRANSITIONAL GROUP CONFERENCES/CIRCLES OF SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS
FY 2007 grant funds would be utilized to expand services into the schools (elementary, middle and high). In the 2004-2005 school season, BRMC held 5 Circles of Support in the schools with 30 students. The new program would be“proactive” conflict management rather than “reactive” conflict resolution. Durango schools would serve as pilot schools to hold twelve 8- person sessions; 6 for girls and 6 for boys, in both the middle and high school grades. Total students participating are expected to be 96. “Transitional sessions” would be held with students entering middle school from elementary school and again with students leaving middle school and entering high school. The sessions will teach tolerance for differences and knowledge of the tools that can be used to prevent conflict. Facilitated small groups(group conference or circle of support format) allow each student a voice in a safe setting, thereby teaching others the value of diversity and the strengths of each culture/ethnicity. BRMC will contract with 2 of their most experienced community volunteers to assist with the facilitation, planning and implementation of the school program. Each session with students would involve a trained volunteer in addition to the paid contractor. The grant funds would also go towards continued current contract staff hours for the Program Director at 32 hours per week, and the Case Manager at 25 hours per week through June 30, 2007. Funds will allow staff to continue outreach measures, plan fundraisers, train and cross-train new and existing community volunteers, and offer technical assistance to groups. BRMC will conduct a minimum of 15 outreach efforts into underserved areas of the County through presentations at public meetings, participation in community service entities, and collaboration.
City of Greeley, Community Development-Neighborhood Resource Office, Greeley (17th JD)$10,000
COMMUNITYMEDIATIONCENTER
In the past year the Administrative Neighborhood Team (ANT) has discussed and researched the need and options for creating a mediation program within the City of Greeley. The ANT identified that a great number of police calls and zoning complaints deal with issues between neighbors and many times could be resolved through a mediation process. Police Officers and Zoning Code Officers tend to use variations of mediation techniques as part of their jobs dealing with conflicting and often times angry and aggressive citizens. However, at this time the only formal mediation service available is through private mediators with a minimum fee of $60 per hour. The intent of creating a mediation program is to identify and address issues for the long term, not just issuing a ticket or summons for a behavior that many times will repeat itself. In many cities mediation has proven effective at providing positive and lasting solutions because the people affected by the solution are the ones participating in ways to resolve the differences. The goal is to establish a mediation program within the City of Greeley utilizing a mediation coordinator and volunteer professional mediators in order to help citizens resolve conflicts and find resolution to neighborhood issues. The intent of the mediation program is to bring about a peaceful resolution to a shared dispute and help resolve conflict by providing a safe place for people to talk constructively about options, opportunities, and solutions. A mediation program will enhance the existing delivery of City services to the citizens of Greeley and will foster an improved quality of life in our neighborhoods, and city.
Community Alternatives, FACE-to-FACE Mediation, Aurora (18th JD) $10,000
MINORS IN POSSESSION
Community Alternatives, Inc., FACE-to-FACE Mediation, working closely with Law Enforcement and the Office of the District Attorney, has an innovative program to serve juveniles with a first time arrest for underage possession of alcohol. With a restorative justice approach, the juveniles (age 17 and under) are provided an opportunity to learn accountability; to develop an awareness of the impact their behavior has on the community and their families; and to take responsibility for their actions. The program is a two session educational and accountability circle, including two parents for each juvenile, and two community members.
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