2nd International Conference

 The 2nd RJ4All International Conference
November 25th, 2022
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, Parliament Chamber and Queen’s Room, 
 Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, London, EC4Y 9AT

Voices from within: Preventing violent youth radicalisation, school exclusion, cyberbullying and homelessness

CELEBRATING & HONOURING INTERNATIONAL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE WEEK 2022

Conference Theme 

This is the second RJ4All Annual International conference aiming to unite cultures, minds and hearts through the values of restorative justice. The first conference saw 148 delegates from 19 countries. This international initiative forms part of our long-term vision to create the first London restorative justice post code.

At RJ4All, we believe that a positive approach to anti-social behaviour, cyberbullying, homelessness and violent radicalisation is fully aligned with community cohesion principles. This approach is opposed to school exclusion, punishment, incarceration and managing communities as "risks". These "risk management approaches" have proven to be ineffective over and over again. 

This international conference brings together some of the world's leaders to provide evidence-based solutions on four key overlapping themes:
  • Preventing violent youth radicalisation through the restorative justice ethos
  • Preventing school exclusion and marginalisation through restorative justice music & art
  • Preventing cyberbullying through restorative justice and human rights 
  • Preventing and addressing homelessness through bottom-up solutions and individual empowerment.
The bridge that connects all these themes is our proposed evidence-based solutions that draw from the values and practices of restorative justice. A key conference methodology is our user-led approach that applies the restorative justice values of individual empowerment and involvement in decision-making. "Voices from within" captures our intentions to hear the evidences either directly from the end user, or through evidence-based qualitative and quantitative research.

The conference will present the findings from Erasmus+ projects that we have been running for over two years with several European partners. It will also present cutting-edge research by scholars from across the world in the format of workshops and plenaries. The results of the conference will be published in the form of an e-book by RJ4All Publications.

Sir Bob Neill MP for Bromley & Chislehurst, Chairman Justice Select Committee, RJ4All Patron said: 

“Empowering the young and our communities to speak up and shape up policy could not be more timely. School exclusion, cyberbullying and disadvantage cause harm leading to a vicious circle of violence including radicalised behaviours. Restorative justice and democratic engagement through community led action are important approaches that are championed by RJ4All and their second International Annual Conference, which I endorse and highly recommend”.

For any questions regarding the event including bookings, sponsorships and media: 
 <rjconference@rj4all.org>

*The event will be held at The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple*
*This venue is closed to the general public*

Registration, CPD Certification and Call for Abstracts


RJ4All is proud to offer this timely event for free. Donations are encouraged to allow us to continue delivering our charitable mission. We will be providing breakfast and lunch during the event.


The first conference saw 148 delegates from 19 countries. We expect this event to be oversubscribed. Early registration is encouraged as places are limited.


A Call for Abstracts has been released allowing delegates to take part in the workshops! The deadline for submitting your application is 14 November 2022. Find the application form here.


Delegates who attend the event will receive a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) certificate. For the CPD certification, registration and full attendance are mandatory. Certificates will be sent to registered delegates after the event. We encourage students, junior researchers and those without experience in presenting at academic conference to submit an abstract.

COVID19 UK Government regulations & info pack


The UK has removed all restrictions relating to COVID19. There is no longer a requirement to self-isolate for 2 days nor to take a PCR test prior to arrival in the UK. For more information and evidence of the changes to UK travel guidelines please follow these links:

  • Pre-departure testing removed for vaccinated travellers - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  • Travel to England from another country during coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)


London is one of the world's most visited city and we look forward to welcoming you! An info-pack has been prepared with recommendations on accommodation and inland travel.


Bursaries

RJ4All is pleased to offer a limited amount of bursaries to international participants. These will be offered on a first-come basis and provided that the following conditions are met:

Conditions for the bursary:

  • Bursary up to €200; no receipts needed; boarding passes will be requested; payment to be made after the event
  • Only for non-UK based participants who have registered with the event.
  • Sign in and out of the event - Full Attendance.
  • Those presenting at the conference, or who provide evidence of disadvantage will be prioritised.
  • Deadline for applying: 14 November 2022. If the abstract had not already been accepted, then it will need to be submitted with the application.

 Conference projects

Conference Agenda

 

9:00-9:15: Registration, coffee & networking


9:15-9:40: Welcome from the event chairs - Prof. Dr. Theo Gavrielides (RJ4All Founder & Director) and Cllr Nick Johnson (RJ4All Chair)


9:40-10:05: Keynote 1: "Convergence or Collision? Young people, youth work and youth policy across Europe" - Dr. Howard Williamson CVO CBE FRSA FHEA (Prof of European Youth Policy, University of South Wales and RJ4All Hon Vice President, UK).


10:05-10:35: Keynote 2: "Youth voices from within? Victims rights: The UK vs the EU", Ben Lyon (RJ4All Hon Vice President) and Prof. Dr. Theo Gavrielides (RJ4All Founder & Director).


10:35-11:00: Keynote 3: "Listening to communities: The Victims' Bill, young people and next steps" Sir Bob Neill MP for Bromley & Chislehurst, Chairman Justice Select Committee, RJ4All Patron


11:00-11:30: Q&A


11:30-12:00: Coffee break


12:00-13:30: Parallel workshops


Group 1: "Schools, youth education, and preventing exclusion through creative practices" (in Parliament Chamber)

Headed by the Restoring Respect through Music Education (RRME) project

Chaired by Miriam Arntz (RJ4All non-executive director)

  • "Restorative Justice Music: A tool for school cohesion" - Thandiwe Mcina (RJ4All Project Officer)
  • "Peer mediation: empowering youth through RJ in practice" - Dave Walker (Calm Mediation)
  • "Using character education to promote inclusion and reduce school exclusions" - Sarah Noble (Abbey College Cambridge)
  • "Is School Exclusion Justice?" - Yeung Tang (RJ4All Intern)
  • "Music for inclusion: insights from Spain" -  Vanessa Pittl (Asociación Caminos)
  • "Learning restoratively through Music Education in Germany" - Sabrina Ibrahim (Afridat)
  • "Restoring Respect through Music Education – implementation in Cyprus” - Alexandra Pambouka (Centre for Social Innovation)
  • "The enormous power of restorative justice music!" - Sercan Dere (Manisa Ozel Egitim Uygulama Okulu III. Kademe)


Group 2: "Homelessness, disadvantage & community cohesion: inequality through an intersectional lens" (in Queen's Room)

Headed by the Accommodating a Travelling Life: Erasmus project (ATL) project

Chaired by Carmen Costa (RJ4All Community Project Officer)


13:30-14:00: Lunch & networking (in Queen's Room)


14:00-15:30: Parallel workshops


Group 3: "Youth, extremism and radicalisation: prevention in practice" (in Queen's Room)

Headed by the Mobilizing against extremism through countering and diverting radicalization of young people (RADEX) project

Chaired by John Grounds (RJ4All non-executive director)

  • "Using restorative dialogue to address radicalisation" - Sofia Sideridou (RJ4All Project Officer) and Fin Swanepoel
  • "A restorative justice approach to Radicalization from a criminological perspective" Stefano Cesana (Coop. Dike Onlus - Milano)
  • "The strengthening of resilience and a positive identity formation" - Victoire Montet (RJ4All Intern)
  • "Radicalisation and Delusions of Sanity" - Dr Carine Minne (IPA Violence Committee)
  • "Youth political participation as a tool to prevent violent radicalisation" - Giulia Sostero (ALDA - Europe)
  • "Prevention through online activities: good practices in Belgium and beyond" (Inclusive Europe) 
  • "Mobilizing against extremism: insights from Cyprus" - Ioanna Athinodorou (Synthesis) 
  • "A call to strengthen prevention mechanisms: Greek youths at risk" - Sofia (Club for UNESCO) 


Group 4: "Digital communication and strengthening capacity against cyberbullying" (in Parliament Chamber)

Headed by the Promoting a Safe Use of Internet Against Cyberbullying (SIAC) project 

Chaired by Katarzyna Grabka (RJ4All Project Officer)

  • "State of the art: best practices against cyberbullying across Europe" - Aikaterini Michailaki Kalafati (UK; RJ4All)
  • "Implementing SIAC in the UK" - Daniele Trevisan (Kairos Europe) 
  • "Decolonising Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Teaching" - Seher Subra (Rooks Heath School)
  • "An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Applied Theatre Methods in Helping Offenders Desist from Crime" - Elliott McDowell (CoachBright)
  • "Prevention tools to address cyberbullying: experiences from Spain" - María Fernández Reyes (Inercia Digital)
  • "Research and implementation in Malta" - Gounay Tashdemir (VisMedNet)
  • "Evidence-based findings from Italy" - Kristina Vidovic (EuroSud) 
  • "Preventing violence and exclusion through restorative justice: Theory and practice at local, national and international levels" - Sorin Baiasu


15:30-16:00: Closing remarks & Q&A - Prof. Dr. Theo Gavrielides (RJ4All Founder & Director) & Cllr Nick Johnson (RJ4All Chair).


Conference packs

    • We invite you to read additional resources, including e-books & results from innovative research projects

    • Supporters, Funders, Sponsors

    Venue

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