Claire de Mézerville López welcomes seasoned restorative justice practitioner and educator, Erin Dunlevy, to the Restorative Works! Podcast. In this series of episodes, we explore the use of restorative practices in higher education through various aspects of the college and university sphere. 

We are joined by Erin as she delves into the power of culturally responsive pedagogy and restorative justice practices. Erin shares insightful stories from her work in secondary and higher education, illustrating how restorative circles and relationship-centered approaches foster inclusive, equitable learning environments. She discusses how these practices can address critical issues like student engagement, literacy, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Erin also discusses innovative methods for evaluating restorative practices, emphasizing group dynamics and community-building over punitive measures. 

Erin is a New York City-based restorative justice practitioner and educator with nearly two decades of professional experience in schools and universities throughout the US, and she currently works on projects around the world training stakeholders from schools, districts, community organizations and for-profit companies who influence education. Her areas of focus include developing restorative justice models for peacemaking across lines of difference, truth and reconciliation, and critical consciousness. Her work has also focused on developing and implementing restorative justice models for addressing equity issues within secondary and higher education classrooms, specifically as an advocate for Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Native Language Arts Education, and in-class restorative circles. Erin has written and presented extensively about evaluative measures for restorative practices in institutions cited for disproportionality and high incidences of violence. In addition to fieldwork, Erin is an adjunct professor at Columbia University, a visiting professor of restorative justice at the United Nations University for Peace, and serves as Vice President at the True North Center for Organizational Health. Erin is also the co-author of "Wisdom of the Circle: A Restorative Practitioner's Deck". 

Tune in to hear more inspiring and relatable stories from the classroom with Erin and gain practical insights that you can apply in your classroom today.