We are a student leadership council at Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi Alternative High School. Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi has received praise for our dedicated teachers and student centered curriculum. Our committed staff works with students to develop a special learning and graduation plan to meet the individual’s needs.

What makes our school particularly special is our commitment to trauma informed teaching, relationships based structure, community building, and our Restorative Practice / Restorative Justice Program.

Part of our role as student leaders is to help facilitate our schools’s Restorative Practices program (RP). This project constructs a space in our school that will allow us to consistently facilitate RP conferences.

Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi implemented RP in our school community several years ago, and we are continuing to strengthen and grow this program. This Awesome Grant would help set-up a designated space in our school where we could facilitate Restorative Circles.

RP is a progressive approach to discipline that focuses on repairing harm between members of a school community. Through this practice, we establish and enforce community norms in cooperation with fellow students and stakeholders. The philosophy means our school takes disciplinary measures “with” students, not “to” students. Restorative approaches aim to address the underlying reasons for a student’s hurtful behavior, and come up with solutions to get them the help they need.

A central part of RP is Talking Circles. A “circle” is a structured meeting in which students, staff, families, and community members meet together to support both “harmed” parties and a person who has caused harm. This circle format of discussion is intended to create a sense of belonging, giving everyone an equal role and voice.

The conferences are usually centered around the following four questions:

What happened? /What were you thinking at the time? /Who or what was harmed? /How do you repair the harm?