About this Event
Across African communities, healing after harm has rarely been left to courts alone. Families, elders, faith leaders, and community associations have long helped people name harm, take responsibility, and find their way back to one another. This three-hour, hands-on session builds on that wisdom and adds the skills and safeguards needed to practise it safely.
Our approach is anchored in Ìtùnú, a Yorùbá word for comfort, consolation, and the restoration of balance. You will learn to facilitate restorative justice circles and to teach others to do the same. The session is for community leaders, volunteers, and advocates. We especially welome participants from African, Carribean and Black communities.
Hosted by Connecting the Dots Diversity and Inclusion Council (CDDIC). This session is made possible through funding from the Government of Alberta, Alberta Restorative Justice Grant.
What you’ll learn
- What restorative justice is and how it differs from punishment
- How Ìtùnú frames justice as truth-telling, accountability, healing, and repair
- The parts of a circle: opening, centrepiece, talking piece, guiding questions, and closing
- How to draw on restorative justice principles, without assuming one practice fits every community
- How to keep circles safe: voluntary participation, centring the harmed person, and managing power imbalances
- How to teach and lead circles in your own community
What’s included
Certificate of Participation, lunch and refreshments, and transportation reimbursement.
Why you should join
Community leaders: Gain a practical, repeatable way to bring people together after harm. Learn to lead circles in your congregation, association, or neighbourhood in a way that respects your community’s own traditions.
Elders, faith leaders, and cultural association members: You already hold the trust and wisdom people turn to when harm happens. Add facilitation skills and safeguards that protect the harmed person and keep the process voluntary.
Volunteers: Build hands-on facilitation skills you can use right away, with the confidence to hold space for difficult conversations. Earn a certificate for your resume or volunteer record.
Advocates and practitioners: Strengthen your toolkit for community-based alternatives to punishment, and learn how to teach these skills so the work reaches further. Use your certificate to document professional development.
No barriers to attending: Lunch and refreshments are provided, and transportation costs are reimbursed.
Content disclaimer
This session offers general education and skills training in restorative justice circle facilitation. It is not legal advice, counselling, or a substitute for professional support, and it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. If you need advice about a specific matter, please speak with a lawyer or a legal aid service. Ìtùnú is one community-grounded approach, not a universal model, and no single tradition or practice is assumed to fit everyone. Some discussions may touch on harm, conflict, or experiences with the justice system. Participation in every activity is voluntary, and you are welcome to pass or step out at any time.
About the organizer
Connecting the Dots Diversity and Inclusion Council (CDDIC)
Connecting the Dots Diversity and Inclusion Council (CDDIC) is a Calgary-based nonprofit working to create a community where youth and their families feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive. Founded in 2021 and incorporated in Alberta in 2024, we focus on youth empowerment, community health, and policy advocacy.
Our Ìtùnú Restorative Justice Program, named for the Yorùbá word for comfort and consolation, supports healing, accountability, and relational repair through culturally grounded, trauma-informed practice. This session is part of building a network of trained community facilitators.
This session is made possible through funding from the Government of Alberta, Alberta Restorative Justice Grant.
https://cddic.ca/
Agenda
Welcome and housekeeping:
Info: Land acknowledgement and an introduction to CDDIC and the Ìtùnú Restorative Justice Project
Foundations: RJ and Ìtùnú
Info: Core principles, how RJ differs from punitive models, and when circles fit.
Anatomy of a circle and demo
Info: Roles, centrepiece, talking piece, guiding questions, and the pre-circle, circle, and follow-up stages.
Break & Lunch
Practice round
Debrief: hard moments
Train-the-trainer
Next steps and closing circle
Event venue & nearby stays
Alt Hotel Calgary Downtown, 635 Confluence Way Southeast, Calgary, Canada
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