Transforming learning & work spaces.
Saba, Kusum, and Kyle met while doing Restorative Justice (RJ) in Oakland Unified School District where Saba & Kusum ran powerful RJ programs in two of the largest high schools in the bay area. Their work with Adults & Youth helped to reduce suspensions, repair relationships between students and between adults, and shifted the cultural climates of the school with ground breaking engagement rates.They actively saw their work as an interruption of the school to prison pipeline and an ideological shift from punitive to restorative discipline and for community .
Their success working with youth and educators inspired them to offer workshops and trainings outside the school system. This expansion built the foundation for FacingIn to be birthed and to grow and have been supporting organizations and teams across the United States ever since. They describe their practices as heart work, telling stories through Data, transformative and grounded in reverence for the ancestral roots from which it came. They are honored to be a part of the lineage of healers and cultural workers, dedicating their lives to transforming our world, one circle at a time.
Our offerings:
Restorative Justice processes with small and large groups who have experienced conflict or harm
One-time Harm/ Conflict Circles: When there has been a conflict or harm within an organization, a school, a community or a family, we can facilitate a restorative process for those involved. This process includes prep work, individual conversations with people impacted, facilitation of circle and follow-up assessments.
Longer-term Consulting:
Work with organizations or schools to support them through larger scale community building or conflict/harm that is impacting a larger group of people
Offer Restorative Justice training and support for organizations or schools looking to implement RJ programs within their systems
3. Community Workshops & Trainings: Offer regular workshops and trainings for community members to participate in, gain restorative skills or a wider exposure to this work.
Our Equity trainings:
We offer varying forms of equity and Anti-racism/education trainings. Our trainings are an interactive approach to the application of the teachings you will receive in real time. We do not present, we engage, we build community.
Introductions and Overview: We begin by introducing ourselves. We then review the goals and objectives of the training, establish community ground rules, and engage in an activity that opens up the conversation.
Build a Racial Equity Lens: During this part of the training, participants explore the questions: “What is race?” and “What is racism?” We discuss the history of how race was constructed and talk about the ways it affects the education system and students’ lived experiences. Participants develop their ability to recognize racism’s many manifestations: institutional, interpersonal, and internalized.
Applying Racial Equity Lens to Scenarios: Equipped with a racial justice analysis, participants then break up into small groups to practice applying this Racial Equity Lens to real-life and classroom-based scenarios. From there, we brainstorm strategies for disrupting racism in both the short- and long-term.
Theory into Practice!: At the end of the training, we shift from talking about what we could do, to actually doing it. Using small- and large-group role plays, participants have an opportunity to step into the scenarios.
ABOUT
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
Develop & design data informed DEIB initiatives & systems cross-functionally. Including, not limited to: On-boarding, L&D, Talent analytics, training, educational assessment of outbound language, candidate/interview assessments, pipeline strategies & ERG's, Organizational & Executive coaching, develop DEI+B trainings (unconscious bias etc) based on needs and values of org as well as using culture/community building practices to identify challenging interpersonal dynamics around race, identity and positional authority.
We create talent acquisition strategies based on internal & market research data to target, hire & retain populations of diverse backgrounds.
We develop partnerships with community organizations aligned with company values to support internal and external D&I initiatives goals, as well as design Media campaigns to expand the brand's voice.
Restorative Justice: Tell us what restorative justice is.
In its rawest form, Restorative Justice seeks to repair harm. It recognizes the human nature of making mistakes as well as our intuitive need for belonging. Conflict and harm can cause pain and separation, which makes repair difficult and healing stunted. Lack of accountability leaves people in cycles of harm without actions to restore right relationship with community and with each other. Restorative Justice creates space for people to share their stories, get their needs met, create real accountability, and humanize each other in the process.
In its day to day, RJ Community circles are frameworks used to design infrastructures, create rapport, deepen relationships and expand connections.
Design Thinking:
A methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.