Greetings!
My name is Linh, and I am an educator and restorative practitioner in Vietnam. My journey in restorative justice has connected me with many inspiring people around the world, and I would love to share how The Classroom Circle team developed the “From Local to Global: Dialogues on Restorative Practices in Education” workshop series.
In the spring of 2024, while preparing for my fellowship at the University of North Dakota, USA, I began searching for organizations, communities, and universities in the region that were promoting restorative justice. One organization that caught my attention was the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking in Minnesota. With the help of Anna, a fellowship coordinator, I was connected to Ted Lewis, a longtime restorative justice practitioner and advocate focused on the judicial system.
Due to time constraints and geographical distance, we were unable to meet in person, so we arranged a Zoom conversation instead. Though brief, our conversation was deeply meaningful and planted the seeds for something much greater. We discussed how restorative justice is practiced in both countries, and I learned a great deal from Ted’s kindness and patient listening. It all began with a simple yet powerful question Ted asked me:
“What can I do to support your work?”
After our meeting, Ted sent me a thoughtful email introducing me to Nancy Reistenberg, a dedicated advocate for restorative justice in education and a former Restorative Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education. She arranged a meeting for us, including her colleague Grace Yang, who is also a dedicated teacher and restorative practitioner. We had a wonderful conversation about how restorative justice is practiced in the U.S., particularly in Minnesota. Nancy then connected me with a network of passionate educators who have since played a vital role in expanding my understanding of restorative justice and its impact on school communities.
Feeling deeply inspired by these connections, I shared my thoughts with my colleages in The Classroom Circle, and we saw an opportunity to turn these relationships into something meaningful. I came up with the “From Local to Global: Dialogues on Restorative Practices in Education” workshop series with the goal of bringing educators, researchers, and practitioners in Vietnam and Southeast Asia together to share classroom experiences, challenges, and hopes for restorative justice in education. Without hesitation, Bich Phuong, Thu Thao, Nhim (our designer), and Viet Nguyen fully supported the idea and eagerly joined the project.
At first, I found it challenging to define both the short- and long-term mission for this work, as it was a new and ambitious endeavor given my experience. After drafting an initial framework, I shared it with my colleagues for feedback and refinement. Through multiple reviews and discussions, we co-created a shared vision and identified two key objectives: (1) increasing awareness and understanding of restorative practices in education and (2) building a connected learning community where educators, teachers, anyone who care about education equity across Southeast Asia can share challenges and exchange ideas, resources. Unexpectedly, the initiative gained attention from friends around the world, expanding our reach beyond Southeast Asia.
Sadly, I received the heartbreaking news that Ted had passed away from cancer before we could start our first session. Ted embodied the spirit of community relationships, and I feel honored to carry that forward by continuing to connect with friends and colleagues who are committed to restorative practices.
As we celebrate the successful completion of all five sessions in this series, we are thrilled to have brought together over 100 participants from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore—extending beyond Southeast Asia to Northeast Asia, North America, Australia, and even as far as Gambia, Switzerland, and Germany. I am deeply grateful to Nancy Reistenberg, Grace Yang, Margaret Thorsborne, James Lim, Sebastian Teo, and Dr. Maisha T. Winn for their incredible generosity and dedication as guest speakers. Their support has been invaluable in strengthening our work in Vietnam and across the region.
Through this work, I hope we can continue building a community that heals the past, values the present, and keeps hope alive for the future. Meeting and collaborating with friends from all over the world has been incredible, and I hope this hub becomes a meaningful space for learning and connection for you as well.
With gratitude,
Linh
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This meaningful journey has been captured through writings, photos, and recordings, which you can explore further at this this link.