Practitioner implementing RJ in Vietnam schools says the approach has great 'transformative and uplifting power'
USD Center for Restorative Justice
Research. Scholarship. Training.
Written by Clara Nithiaparan
For his practicum project in the USD Certificate in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership, Vi?t Nguy?n Hoàng led a school-wide restorative training where?principals sat?alongside teachers for the first time as they?talked through the flaws in the school system. Through their dialogue, they?realized the need to transform the violent and non-tolerant system.?Very soon, the ripple effect was evident. Teachers began introducing restorative circles to their classrooms and staff meetings.
Vi?t, who has worked in education with a focus on environmental stewardship and social activism for the past decade, highlighted the immense “transformative power” of restorative justice which he discovered when he learned that it could be applied to transforming the school system in Vietnam. He has since applied restorative justice to multiple projects, three of which included: summer residential camps for Vietnamese students; within the public schools for teachers and principals; and in summer exchange programs between U.S. and Vietnamese students.?
In the summer programs, after a restorative circle, students who previously said they didn’t like each other were able to reflect on how they could take action to improve their relationships.?
As a result, Vi?t and his colleagues have?introduced creative methods such as students writing appreciative words about each other,?which contributed to students being able to?“reaffirm the validity of the other” and feel a large sense of “belonging and being supported.”?
While the approach is gaining traction at his school, more broadly?Vi?t said the local perception of restorative justice is that it is a western and colonial concept. In an effort to help expand RJ efforts in the country,?Vi?t has?tried to draw parallels to cultural norms that align with RJ practices and is researching the deeper roots within Vietnamese indigenous groups in order?to further the cultural relevancy of restorative justice within the country.
He says, “The more restoratively you live, the more easily you can bring it to the larger community outside.”?
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The USD School of Leadership and Education Sciences — Center for Restorative Justice and its faculty have developed a unique professional development opportunity to gain a deep understanding of restorative justice both in theory and practice. Offered in a convenient and flexible online format to fit your schedule, this certificate will support you in taking restorative action in the world with the support of a team of skilled restorative practitioners.?The certificate program also helps create a community of support folk and community members who would be there to support advancing your work moving forward.?
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Total Cost:?$3585
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