Community Conversations

Upcoming Community Conversations

More great Conversations in the works, stay tuned!

Past Conversations

About MMC Community Conversations

For several years, MMC has hosted an ongoing series of live and virtual bi-lingual Community Conversations. The aim is to foster new relationships, share perspectives, and build a stronger sense of shared community.

Our Community Conversations are modeled after Restorative Community-Building Circles. Participants meet in small groups, each accompanied by a Spanish-language interpreter. An MMC volunteer trained in Restorative Justice practices facilitates the discussion, enabling everyone to listen and to share their experiences and insights. Some conversations are preceded by a brief panel discussion to provide background information and current research/data to help frame the discussion. However, in these Community Conversations, there are no “experts.” Each participant’s lived experience has equal value and adds to the richness and diversity of the discussion.

Because all conversations are confidential, only the panel portion of the program is recorded. Watch our Community Conversation opening panel on Reimagining Justice: Using restorative justice practices to enhance safety and compassion in our schools, community, and courts.

Please join us for our next

Community Conversation!

The Circle is a fundamental form in the practice of RJ. It is rooted in the ancient tradition of sitting together around the warmth and safety of a fire to share food, stories and enjoy each other’s company. In dominant Western culture, we often organize ourselves in rows, facing the leader of a meeting, presentation or class. The Circle, in which everyone sits facing one another in a position of equal authority, is by its nature more inclusive and more conducive to relationship-building.

Restorative Justice Circles are highly structured, intentional spaces in which people share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings. They require active listening and promote the development of understanding and empathy for the purpose of:

Community building, collaborative problem solving, & resolving conflicts and repairing harm.