Encouraging Restorative Community Conversations with the Comfort Zone, the Disc

Often our Alarm bells go off, blood pressure rises and our capacity to listen stops, when we hear ideas and opinions that seem radically different than ours. What techniques can we use to increase trust and create the foundation for truly Restorative Conversations? How might we create an environment that encourages people to listen deeply and speak openly? Join Rose Gordon, Restorative Justice Facilitator, in exploring these questions and tips for facilitating conversations that can make a difference. Rose Gordon has been facilitating Restorative Justice for youth for over a decade. She’s facilitated Restorative Approaches trainings in New Mexico and Thailand and views Restorative Approaches as a way of building peaceful communities and an “inoculation” against violence. Rose is the Program Coordinator for the Taos County Juvenile Justice Continuum, has been interviewed on Peace Talks Radio, is a member of the International Community of Restorative Researchers, co-hosted the PeaceXPeace Western and Muslim Women’s Dialogues and was invited to participate in the East Meets West Restorative Justice Summit in Turkey. Abigail R.C. McManus is a graduate of the University of Baltimore obtaining her Master’s degree in Negotiation and Conflict Management. Abigail earned her Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from Stevenson University. Abigail is passionate about analyzing, managing, resolving, and transforming conflict in everyday life.