Engagement Approach
The multi-phased engagement process to develop the Network included pre-engagement discussions, followed by an online engagement, and ended with two listening sessions. Information shared at each phase was reviewed and incorporated into the next engagement activity.
Pre-engagement
Between January and March 2024 restorative justice researchers and practitioners across Canada were contacted to determine their interest in the development of a research network and how they would like to be involved. A snowball sampling approach was used to identify people that may be interested in the development of a network. Virtual discussions were held with over 60 peopleFootnote 2 during this period, which resulted in a volunteer multi-sectoral/multi-disciplinary Co-design Team (CDT) being established to lead the engagement process with the support of an Advisory Group (AG) (see Annex A for the list of members).
Guiding Principles
The following are the principles identified during the pre-engagement phase that were used to guide the engagement process and development of the Network:
- The Network will be developed in a collaborative, relational and respectful way.
- The vision for the Network is to not duplicate work already being done across the country, but rather create mechanisms to connect, amplify the work being done, fill in any research or data gaps, and create a space for collaboration to support the growth of restorative justice research communities across the country.
- Collaboration between Indigenous, non-Indigenous, federal government, provincial-territorial government, academic and community-based or non-government researchers is key to the success and longevity of the Network.
- Multi-sector (e.g., justice, health, education, mental health, addictions, housing) involvement is key to telling “the restorative justice story”, so researchers from these different sectors need to be engaged.
- Knowledge sharing and dissemination are fundamental.
Online Engagement
An on-line engagement, using Simple Survey, was undertaken between July and September 2024 with 114 completed responses were received from every province and territory, except Nunavut. Approximately half of the responses received were from Ontario and British Columbia. Most of the respondents were employed by not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions or government, while there were also respondents from the private sector, students, retired persons, and volunteers.
Three quarters of the respondents had experience with restorative justice (41% moderate and 35% a lot of experience), while 21% indicated they had a little experience and 3% no experience.
More than half of respondents identifiedFootnote 3 as a restorative justice practitioner (57%), over a third as a restorative justice researcher (35%) and 9% identified as a restorative justice policy officer. Many respondents (30%) indicated “other”, which included practitioners and facilitators of programs that may include restorative justice practices, researchers in other areas, members of restorative justice associations, and consultants.
Listening Sessions
Two listening sessions were held to provide an opportunity to share what was learned from the on-line engagement and further share ideas around the development of the Network in a collaborative way. Facilitated by members of the Network CDT, each session began with a presentation to provide background and context regarding why a Network is being developed followed by sharing results of the online engagement. After the presentation, discussion circles were used to consider questions posed under three themes:
- Resonance and Engagement: “What resonates with you from the presentation? What are we missing? What will engage people moving forward?”
- Diversity and Inclusion: “How do we ensure diversity and inclusion moving forward?”
- Leadership Invitation: “How do we invite leaders to either take up a role in the research network steering group or develop a community of research practice?"
Following the small group discussions, the facilitators then reported back during a plenaryFootnote 4 on the discussions to the full group before closing the session.
The initial listening session, which had 15 participants, was also held in-person on November 19, 2024, during the National Restorative Justice Week Symposium in Ottawa. The second listening session was held virtually on February 17, 2025, with 22 participantsFootnote 5.
Network Name & Branding
Throughout the engagement process, the name of the Network changed. Initially there was a call to develop a National Restorative Justice Research Network. This was to acknowledge that the focus of the Network is to be open and accessible to everyone across the country to ensure that communities of research practice build connections across jurisdictions to raise awareness and understanding. However, once established, it will also be important to have it recognized as a Canadian network as connections with other researchers and practitioners grow into international spaces.
The Network CDT also heard during the listening sessions that narrowly defining the Network as a research network could create a barrier for some to participate, including Indigenous and marginalized communities that have experienced harmful extractive research practices. While for others, the term research may be perceived as favouring empirical research over other ways of knowing, such as through sharing of stories, art, experiential. It is for this reason that the term knowledge was added to the name for the Network, to reflect that the purpose of the Network is to increase awareness and understanding of restorative justice through many different ways of knowing.
Since the Network is not an initiative of any one organization or association, the Network CDT recognized the importance of creating a unique identity and building recognition for the Network as a separate entity.
Between January and March 2025, the Network CDT worked, in consultation with the AG, with an Indigenous design team at Design de Plume Inc. to create a logo and branding for the Network, as illustrated in this report and the logo below.
Text version
Logo for the “Canadian Restorative Justice Research & Knowledge Network.” To the left of the text is a circular symbol divided into four colored segments separated by white lines that represent a C on the left and a R on the right. The top of the C is light blue, the bottom of the C is dark blue with three white wavy lines, the top of the R is gold, and the bottom of the R is green with a white diagonal line. The text “ Canadian Restorative Justice Research & Knoweldge Network” appears in black to the right of the symbol, stacked in three lines.
The C in the logo represents Canada and cultural diversity, while the top of the C is a pie-chart to represent the importance of evidence-based research and knowledge. The colour blue is used for the C to represent water, as is reflected in the white lines symbolizing ripples. Water is a strong metaphor for change and transformation, which are tied to the goal of the Network.
The R in the logo represents restorative justice and research. The top of the R is yellow to represent the sun, while the green on the bottom forms the shape of a leaf, symbolizing nature, a metaphor for interconnectedness, growth and renewal.
When placed in the banner, the logo is in an unclosed circle which symbolizes the continuous cycle of growth and change, with the opening symbolizing a path forward. Together, the logo captures the spirit of unity/collaboration, growth and sustainability, change and a path forward, which are key goals for the Network.
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