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.