Claire de Mézerville López welcomes Sloane Johnson to theRestorative Works!Podcast.

Sloane speaks with us about the challenges and victories in implementing restorative practices in schools across Bermuda and the importance of implementation beyond the classroom.

Creating a supportive and nurturing network within the school system requires policies that uphold restorative principles through peer support groups, parent engagement, and a holistic approach to discipline.She emphasizes that teaching empathy through listening opens students up to being heard and understood in ways they may not have previously experienced in traditional school settings.

Sloane reminds us that parent engagement is powerful when using restorative approaches with students. When these methods and principles are applied at home, they trickle down into the wider community, broadening and normalizing empathy and conflict resolution as common practice. She offers methods to include parents in restorative conferences and the resources she provides them to help sustain the progress made during conferences.

Sloane has a passion for working with young people and Bermuda's underserved communities.She has invested her time creating robust programming and policies for the government of Bermuda,such as the Cybertips Program,the Digital Leadership Conference,and CircleWorx.Now serving as the community & development coordinator for The Coalition for the Protection of Children, her program scope has widened to also include job readiness, healthy relationships, and child safety.

Sloane is also responsible for the design and implementation of new policies and program development and regularly facilitates restorative circles, conferences,and training.Sloane firmly believes in the core principles of restorative practices, that all humans are hardwired to connect and require strong and meaningful relationships to thrive.

Tune in to learn more about Sloane's work and methods to broaden the reach of restorative practices across the island of Bermuda.