The Circle Keepers Fellowship

THE CIRCLE KEEPERS FELLOWSHIP

​The Circle Keepers Restorative Justice Arts-Based Fellowship is a series of sequential, weekly programs that develop youth’s academic and social emotional skills through an Arts-based, Restorative Justice practices, Culturally Sustaining and Responsive Pedagogies framework (Alim & Paris, 2017). Our programs’ goals are embedded on the following three CRSP domains:

1: Cultural Education: Young people study art forms of their choosing such as music performance/production, visual arts, photography, theater, coding, dance, fashion, and/or poetry to explore different world cultures as well as affirm their own. These activities serve as a way to build interpersonal relationships among the participants and educators as well as strengthen the youth’s sense of identity and pride and act as vehicles for inner healing and self expression. 
 

2: Social Emotional Support: Students partake in restorative justice circles to process issues they are experiencing, develop skills they can use to navigate conflict in their daily lives and. Furthermore, they train as circle keepers to facilitate peer mediations and RJ circles in their own communities. Additionally, they work alongside a mental health professional in group settings to develop educational and social emotional tools for success. 
 

3: Social Justice Education: Students engage in political education courses to better understand issues like racism, White supremacy, xenophobia, homophobia, anti semitism, islamophobia, poverty, patriarchy, ableism, militarism as the roots of systemic harm and violence. 

  • BECOMING A CIRCLE KEEPER: Tier 1

    Becoming A Circle Keeper is a youth development program designed to train youth as peer mediators and community organizers, understanding and facilitating Tier 1 community building circles and cultural events, as well as conflict resolution mediations and interventions stemming from day-to-day interactions among peers and school staff  in school such as misunderstandings, gossip, cell-phone misuse, grading policies. In addition, youth participants learn the  importance of shared values as means to co-create community norms, circle facilitation protocols, and the importance of prioritizing self-care and community care as conflict mediators.

    This fellowship also trains youth as cultural workers and education facilitators through the creation of multimedia educational restorative justice practices content such as a LinkTree, a YouTube Channel, a Podcast, and slideshows.

  • CIRCLE UP! Tier 2 & Tier 3

    Circle Up!  is a youth development program designed to train youth as peer mediators understanding and facilitating Tier 2 & 3 conflict resolution mediations and interventions stemming from systemic issues such as racism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism and more. This training is designed for youth to learn the differences between conflict, harm and violence, as well as build  conflict resolution skills through clear, hands-on, step by step experiential learning experiences based on role plays, theory, and most importantly; their own lived experiences. 

  • FACILITATION HUDDLE: Educational Leadership

    Facilitation Huddle! is a youth development fellowship designed to train youth as popular educators who facilitate both formal and informal educational experiences for their community rooted in healing centered, trauma informed and youth culture pedagogies. Participants learn public speaking skills, theater techniques, game design, as well as visual arts and graphic skills to produce educational materials such as slide decks, workbooks and zines to aid their facilitation. 

  • POLICY & ACTIVISM: Youth Leadership

    I’ve Got Something To Say! is a youth development program that trains youth as advocates and activists for restorative justice awareness and funding. Participants learn the basic fundamentals of community organizing, study how policy is created and passed in NYC,  learn public speaking strategies, and how to create effective campaigns. Our fellowship provides opportunities for youth to participate in press conferences, write OpEds, testify to City Council and provide policy recommendations  to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and transform the culture of school.