January Updates: Monthly Key News on Restorative Justice From Around The World
RJ4All Founder's December Message
Thank you for supporting us and our community throughout 2024!
”Dear RJ4All family, partners, funders, and friends,
As we begin 2025, I'm grateful for your support in advancing restorative justice. Your commitment and belief have been instrumental in our efforts to heal communities, foster dialogue, address conflict, and enhance social cohesion. Together, we have embedded restorative justice values into community engagement, youth empowerment programmes, victim support services, and international partnerships. But we have a long way to go before we restore justice and achieve peace for all.
We look forward to expanding our educational initiatives, restorative justice services, and research across the world. May 2025 bring you success and fulfilment."
Together in restorative justice, Dr. Theo Gavrielides, Founder & Director, RJ4All
2024 Spotlight:
UK Restorative Justice News
Recognising Young Champions of Restorative Justice through the FRED Awards
Celebrate youth leadership and community empowerment at the Fred Youth Awards on 3 January 2025 at RJ4All Rotherhithe Community Centre. Organised by the Youth Management Board and supported by RJ4All, the Fred Award honours young champions who embody the principles of fairness, respect, equality, and dignity—core values of restorative justice. The award celebrates the creativity and leadership of young people in fostering stronger, more resilient communities. By engaging youth in restorative practices, RJ4All nurtures their natural capacity for empathy, innovation, and leadership, helping to build a brighter future for all. Join us to recognise and support these remarkable young changemakers!
Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces for Youth Voices through Speak Up! Circle
At our recent Speak Up! Circle, young people and youth service organisations gathered to address the lack of opportunities and guidance for tackling youth violence. Discussions focused on integrating restorative justice into schools and youth programmes to create spaces where young people feel heard, valued, and empowered to make positive choices. By embracing power-sharing, fairness, equality, dignity, and respect, restorative justice equips youth to actively resolve conflicts and rebuild relationships. Participants also agreed to establish a youth-focused committee and strengthen partnerships among organisations to exchange resources and ideas in addressing youth violence. These efforts aim to foster a supportive environment where young people can thrive and feel valued.
Restorative Justice Training to Address Gender-Based Violence
As part of the City Bridge Fund project, RJ4All delivered training to organisations supporting victims of gender-based violence and hate crimes. These sessions focused on restorative justice approaches to address harm, prevent violence, and promote healing, fostering collaboration among stakeholders and showcasing its effectiveness in tackling systemic issues. RJ4All also offers tailored support for victims of gender-based violence. If you or someone you know needs support, please submit a referral. Our team is here to provide guidance, support recovery, and help build resilience to prevent future challenges.
Hearts and Homes Come Together in RJ4All’s Festive Event for Community
Our festive celebration brought together the RJ4All community to reflect on the past year, share hopes for the year ahead and engage in meaningful activities that foster connection. The event featured a live cooking demonstration, where participants collaborated in preparing and sharing meals using food from our Community Fridge, alongside creating holiday cards and exchanging thoughtful gifts. With food as our centrepiece, we highlighted that access to nutritious meals is fundamental to human dignity and well-being. A participant shared her experience:
"These activities made me feel deeply connected to the RJ4All community. I believe in RJ4All's mission to spread restorative justice values and build stronger bonds among people."
These activities highlighted the values of sharing and inclusivity at the core of restorative justice, offering a safe space for dialogue and togetherness.
International Restorative Justice News
Launching ENHANCE: A Cross-border Collaboration to Tackle Gender Inequality and Empower Women
With the support of the Erasmus+ Programme, RJ4All Europe is proud to announce the launch of the ENHANCE Project: Empowering Girls and Young Women Across Europe and the MENA Region. This initiative brings together a cross-sector partnership of organisations from three EU countries (Cyprus, Italy, North Macedonia) and three non-EU countries (Jordan, Morocco, Egypt). ENHANCE aims to address gender inequality and discrimination by equipping communities with innovative, non-formal education tools designed to promote inclusion and empowerment for girls and young women. Built on a foundation of shared learning and capacity building, ENHANCE places particular emphasis on strengthening the capabilities of non-EU partner organisations, fostering cultural change, breaking down barriers, and challenging stereotypes that perpetuate inequality.
Restorative Justice: A Holistic Approach to Ending Violence Against Women
Seventy-six years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, gender-based violence remains a pressing issue, with approximately 31% of women in the EU experiencing physical or sexual violence since the age of 15. Legal measures alone are insufficient to tackle the deep-rooted cultural and social factors driving this harm. Restorative justice offers a powerful alternative, focusing on accountability, resocialisation, and healing at both individual and community levels. By addressing the root causes of violence, restorative justice creates pathways for lasting change and empowerment. RJ4All is now collaborating with stakeholders in the EU to implement solutions that prevent violence against women while addressing its aftermath, working towards safer societies for women across Europe and beyond.
Day of the Mediterranean: Celebrating Unity and Cooperation
On November 28, RJ4All Europe celebrated the Day of the Mediterranean, reflecting on the region’s shared heritage and commitment to dialogue and collaboration. Established by the Union for the Mediterranean, this day highlights the importance of fostering partnerships to address shared challenges and promote peace and prosperity. As a Cyprus-based organisation, RJ4All Europe embraces these values, using restorative justice to build inclusive and harmonious communities across the Mediterranean.
Publication of the Month
Introducing Restorative Justice Art: Four Steps to Restore Mental Health
Restorative justice art, first conceptualised by Dr. Theo Gavrielides in 2018, integrates diverse forms of artistic expression—visual (e.g., drawing, filmmaking), literary (e.g., poetry), performing (e.g., theatre, music), plastic (e.g., sculpture), and printmaking (e.g., digital printing)—with the ethos (e.g., power sharing, co-design, equality) and practices (e.g., circles) of restorative justice.
In this ebook, Dr. Gavrielides highlights restorative justice art as a transformative tool for enhancing mental health and supporting individual healing. Blending theory with practical guidance, the publication demonstrates how restorative justice art fosters self-awareness, resilience, and community connection. It also explores its potential to (a) improve community cohesion by addressing tensions and divisive narratives, (b) enhance mental health outcomes for individuals facing multiple barriers, including violence, (c) build resilience against risks leading to harm, and (d) support the reintegration of individuals transitioning from prison into the community.
Open Vacancies
Office Administrator: HR and Finance
Application deadline: January 27th, 2025
RJ4All is seeking an Office Administrator to manage the effective finance and HR administration across our UK and Cyprus offices. This role involves supporting recruitment, training, recordkeeping, morale, and HR processes, as well as overseeing financial administration in collaboration with accountants and bookkeepers.