Restorative Practices is a philosophy and a set of formal and informal
tools which view building relationships, repairing harm, and rebuilding
trust when harm occurs as important ways to create a peaceful and
productive society. At UMBC, Restorative Practices helps us strengthen
relationships between individuals as well as social connections within
our community leading to increased well being, active,
participatory learning, community building, decision-making, greater
safety, and a sense of belonging.
At UMBC, we operate on the premise that restorative practices are a form
of democratic dialogue, and as such, are about relationships within
communities. This includes learning skills for being in relationship
with one another, understanding obligations that exist based on
community needs, and the responsibility to engage as a community to
repair harms caused within those relationships.