Chilliwack Restorative Justice plans Better Way Celebration dinner, silent auction on May 6

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Restorative Justice continues to impact the community in a positive, tangible manner. Its Operation Red Nose volunteers logged over 1,000 hours during the Christmas holiday season, driving 371 people safely home and collecting $12,923 in donations, which will be used for the Restorative School program. Restorative Justice took over Operation Red Nose and was able to get it off the ground in time for the holiday season in late 2022.

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Its Restorative Circles are now operating in four schools in SD33, including A.D. Rundle Middle School, Vedder Middle School, Watson Elementary, and Vedder Elementary.

“The restorative circles are our bread and butter,” said Steve Roukema, executive director of Chilliwack Restorative Justice. “That’s why our mantra is, we engage with the community to repair and prevent conflict through interactive circles.”

In 2022, Restorative Justice welcomed four new staff, received six grants, recorded 33 sponsors, amassed over 2,100 volunteer hours, and saw 1,480 students participate in Restorative Peace circles. It also supported 32 victims while completing 63 restorative circles.

“The most gratifying part of my job is when a person responsible (offender) recognizes that the restorative justice process is an opportunity to reset their lives and do better with the resources available to them,” Roukema said. “A lot of people will now know what restorative justice is. When someone arrested for theft or vandalism, police give them an option: you can be arrested and go through the court system, or go through restorative justice. Not everyone says yes. It’s a voluntary process where the person who committed the crime takes responsibility. They don’t try to prove that they’re innocent through restorative justice.”

Restorative Justice board member Sherry Mumford, a criminologist who holds a Ph.D, says restorative justice offers a chance for the offender to make restitution with the community.

“It’s a way to restore faith in community members, that there’s reconciliation that can happen here,” Mumford said. “It gives you, as the victim, an opportunity to express how that impacted you. These aren’t armed robbers or crimes like manslaughter. These are people who live in various levels here in Chilliwack. When they hear how that [offence] impacted you, that’s some kind of a restoration of the social and community connection. That gives me a chance to say that kicking in the window, or bullying, or destruction of property, can have an impact on a person. There’s an accountability mechanism within restorative justice that’s worked out in the way so that it fits the offence in order to work on restitution and reconciliation.”

Comedian Cliff Prang will emcee the May 6th dinner and silent auction, and restorative justice pioneer David Gustafson will be the keynote speaker. Tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased through https://events.readysetauction.com/chilliwackre…/betterway.