"The fundamental basis of the Restorative Justice is the relationship," said Educator and Ph.D. in educational psychology, Katherine Evans, during the lecture on "The Power of the Restorative Justice in Education", which opened the 1st National Meeting of Restorative Justice in Education, on Wednesday (August 23rd), in the auditorium of the Court of Justice of the State of Tocantins (TJTO).
The educator stressed that the Restorative Justice (RJ) brings the "belief that all human beings have value and a role in society", and from this, it is possible to bring about transformation, thus the importance of relationships. Katherine Evans used as an example a family photo in which she was standing next to her wife. "Restorative Justice has changed the relationships I have with my family," she said.
Katherine also said that the RJ in education has evolved and expanded over the years, but, according to her, the road to transformation is long and takes time and effort. "There have been thousands of years of oppression, we need to unlearn and learn the best way to respect. We need to learn from each other."
To walk the path of transformation, the educator listed six principles: 1) healthy relationships at school, as essential to effective learning; 2) needs honored and met; 3) conflicts as learning opportunities and not just to be avoided; 4) responsibility for each other in supportive environments; 5) healing through support to fix things; 6) the justice/injustice experience impacts the sense of community of people.
Based on these principles, she also noted that the RJ at school is not just a way of changing the configuration of students within a classroom, not just focusing on behavior, but on needs and meeting those needs. In this way, she said, children and teenagers will be able to relate to each other and deal with conflicts. "There is a direction we want to take, but it's not a straight path. On the way, any small step leads to something," she said, adding that challenges must not prevent us from taking the first step.
Programming
The lecture was mediated by the Minister of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), Luiz Philippe Vieira de Mello Filho, the Federal Judge in the State of São Paulo and member of the JR Management Committee of CNJ, Kátia Herminia Martins Lazarano Roncada, and the Assistant Judge of the Presidency of the TJTO, Rosa Maria Gazire Rossi, who thanked the educator for her presence and said that "I honor her teachings and I am grateful for them".
In closing, Minister Vieira de Mello said that a quality school in which the different needs and desires are met depends on the dedication of everyone, especially the Judiciary. "We know the consequences if these people don't have opportunities, chances," he said, adding that it is necessary to start from the same point, which involves effort, love, compassion and respect for diversity.
The first day of the 1st National Meeting on Restorative Justice in Education ended with a performance by the group of the State of Tocantins, “Tambores do Tocantins” (Drums of Tocantins), and an autograph session by Speaker Katherine Evans.
