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Community Restorative Justice Ireland Newry/Armagh recently hosted an event, “How Society Can Best Use Restorative Justice", at the Thomas Davis GAC Community Hub as part of International Restorative Justice Week.
The conference, hosted by the Digging Deeper project and funded through IFI saw two presentations, one a live-streamed event from Cardiff, Wales, was delivered by the Restorative Justice Council of Britain. The second presentation was an interactive ‘in-person’ sessions involving insightful contributions from Aideen McLaughlin (Assistant Director, Probation Board), Terence ‘Banjo’ Bannon (Garda Youth Diversion Programme), Ciaran Mackin (Educator and former School Principal) and Ryan O’Reilly (CRJI Volunteer), who shared his personal journey into his involvement with Restorative Justice.
Each speaker provided valuable insights into how restorative practices can be applied across modern society and in our everyday lives. These perspectives were well received by over 90 attendees, including representatives from the local community sector, teachers, A level Psychology / Sociology students and youth workers. Statutory agencies were represented by PBNI, An Garda, PSNI and NIHE. Various council representatives, including PCSP and local councillors, attended as did the MP for Newry/Armagh, Daire Hughes.
A CRJI representative said "This conference was CRJI Newry/Armagh's final major event of 2024. The one-day seminar was an inspiring occasion to celebrate International Restorative Justice Week. Taking on board the insightful feedback, we received from all participants, CRJI Newry/Armagh are looking forward to the continued development of these new relationships as we enter 2025."
