From 2019 – 2021 (with some unforeseen interruptions) RRC members chose to research the impacts of historical trauma on restorative justice practice, both the ways in which these traumas enhance and impede our work with participants in the spaces we hold. We used talking circles, literature reviews, journaling, reflective practice in pairs and interviews in order to better understand our topic. Our work was conducted via a Participatory Action Research approach, a democratic research process where participants (traditionally “subjects”) take the lead in selecting study topics that are relevant for us and also carrying out that study in collaboration with academics and other helpers as needed.

Outcomes of our research are in process of being documented and will soon be shared more widely with our worldwide RJ community, together with research on RJ in organizations by our Guatemalan sister cohort, Colectivo de Practicantes Restaurativxs.