Chapter 2: The People at the Center
Estimated time: 20 to 25 minutes
Video to watch: Restorative Justice Partners: Volunteers, Donors, Community (YouTube, about 6 minutes)
Learning Goals
Explore how volunteers create ripple effects in the community.
Understand the personal impact of serving on panels.
Recognize challenges and growth opportunities for volunteers.
The Deeper Contribution
By serving on panels, volunteers become bridges between harmed parties, responsible parties, and the wider community. You help ensure that repair is not just an individual matter but a community one. Your presence says: we are stronger when we hold each other accountable and offer paths forward.
How Volunteers Change the Process
They bring lived experience and community wisdom that professionals may not see.
They keep the process grounded in real life, not abstract rules.
They model dignity and fairness, showing that accountability and compassion can exist together.
They shift the culture from punishment to repair.
Challenges You May Face
Hearing painful stories without trying to “fix” everything.
Balancing empathy with accountability.
Trusting the process when solutions feel imperfect.
Staying neutral when emotions run high.
How the Process Changes Volunteers
Listening to harmed parties deepens empathy and awareness of unseen struggles.
Working with responsible parties builds faith in people’s ability to change.
Sitting with community members shows how repair can ripple outward into neighborhoods.
The role invites reflection on your own values and how you contribute to community well-being.
Example in Practice
During a panel, a volunteer asks a shoplifter: “What could you do to make this right?” The young person hesitates, then says they could work at a local pantry to “give back.” Later, the volunteer reflects: “I realized that accountability is not just about repairing harm for the victim, but also about reconnecting someone to community in a positive way. That moment changed how I see justice.”
Volunteer Inspiration
Remember, you are not just helping in the moment. Each panel you join adds to a broader culture of accountability and repair. You are modeling to others — harmed parties, responsible parties, and community members — that justice is possible without exclusion or destruction.