Message from the Founder
I launched Building a New Reality (BANR) after I retired as president of the IIRP Graduate School that I founded to offer master’s degrees and professional development in an emerging social science — restorative practices.
Restorative practices teaches leaders — from parents and teachers to managers and administrators — how to handle their authority effectively and build collaborative communities.
Surprisingly we first developed this approach while my wife and I were running schools for delinquent and at-risk kids and their families in southeastern Pennsylvania, where most of my life’s work has been based.
Research with almost 4000 young people in our schools showed that participating in our restorative communities for a few months reduced criminal re-offending by more than half and steadily improved social attitudes.
When we engage with even the most challenging kids by giving them real voice and choice, they usually rise to the occasion, take responsibility and change in ways that many think impossible.
The same has been found to be true with adults. Therefore, I proposed a fundamental hypothesis of restorative practices, which asserts that “people are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes in behavior when those in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them.”
Expanding Restorative
During the quarter century since I established the International Institute for Restorative Practices, restorative practices as a movement has had a positive influence in a very wide and growing variety of settings.
BANR is dedicated to highlighting models that amplify engagement and collaboration throughout what I call the “six facets” of societal needs: learning, governance, care, justice, enterprise and spirit.
For my most concise statements on the breadth of this vision, you may begin with my recent article, “Expanding Restorative,” or my How to Build a New Reality Master Class.
You may also want to browse our Books and Resource Pages (see menu).
True Representation Project
Although restorative practices have been used most extensively in micro settings to address wrongdoing and conflict in schools, workplaces and criminal justice, there is also great potential in macro settings for large-scale societal conflict resolution and decision-making.
That is why I consider among the six facets that Governance is the “facet that rules them all.”
We will struggle to meet our other social needs if we can’t get governance right.
The polarizing nature of partisan politics is driving people further and further apart, diminishing mutual respect and trust and our capacity to make thoughtful decisions.
Thus BANR has launched the True Representation project — to demonstrate restorative models of large group decision-making that work better.
This BANR website will continue to report on all six facets of social need, but with a special focus on our True Representation project.
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