Reap the benefits of better communication.
Our Work in Action
Get a flavour of AvatarJo Training by watching our award-winning work with the team at Restorative Justice.
As part of their training, trainee practitioners need to practise talking to victims of crime and the perpetrators, to encourage them to talk to eachother. See how AvatarJo training changed the way these practitioners approach these conversations, forever.
AvatarJo & Restorative Justice
"Restorative justice brings those harmed by crime or conflict and those responsible for the harm into communication, enabling everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward. This is part of a wider field called restorative practice."
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE COUNCIL
Earlier this year we began working with RJ Working - a Community Interest Company in Cornwall who work with multiple agencies across the County to promote, support and deliver Restorative Processes.
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As part of their activity, they deliver training to help people deliver effective Restorative Practice.
One of the challenges the participants face is motivating the parties to take part in the process. As you can imagine, talking to a victim of crime about the benefits of meeting the perpetrator is a challenging conversation that needs careful handling.
That's where we could help. Each of the training programme participants were invited to submit their own specific scenario involving either a victim or perpetrator that they felt they needed to practise.
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It's fair to say they were initially nervous. Recreating a difficult conversation with an actor playing either the victim or perpetrator of a crime filled them with trepidation.
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Nevertheless, they faced their fears and practised away. We were blown away by the feedback, and delighted to help people addressing such a serious issue.
Practising difficult conversations with the help of our professional actors has helped build the skills and confidence of these Restorative Justice practitioners. If you'd like AvatarJo to help with your Restorative Processes please contact us NOW for a no-obligation chat.
What RJ Working Say About AvatarJo
With the kind permission of Deborah Mitchell and the team at RJ Working, we've re-produced some of their feedback on their experience below.
“Our partnership with ActorBank (founding company name of AvatarJo) has been a welcome innovation which has significantly enriched our Restorative Practice Facilitator Training, with a focus on introducing and motivating participation in restorative meetings, and explaining the benefits.
We are the only organisation based in Devon and Cornwall to have the Restorative Justice Council's Quality Mark for this training, and have also achieved their Training Provider Quality Mark. We are continually developing our training in consultation with training participants who have been unanimous in their appreciation of the ActorBank experience.“
Deborah Mitchell
RJ Working CIC
www.rjworking.co.uk
07535 656007
Award Winner- National Restorative Practice Awards 2016
Describe your experience in 3 words: Challenging, Reassuring, Empowering
How do you feel following your experience: Charlie was very professional but also had an ease that made the atmosphere non-intimidating and encouraged a safe space for practicing the scenario. I was nervous as this was my first session and I was feeling dusty on my confidence to propose an RJ session, though this quickly eased and it was great to have a chance to practice. It was also really useful to have someone playing the other role and throwing improv/unexpected "curveballs" that kept me on my toes and off of my own script I created in case I felt nervous. Really helpful and useful. 20 minutes was also the right amount of time.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: How useful it was to have safe and neutral space to practice proposing a challenging scenario to someone - which helps to identify where you are at with your confidence and where you may want to practice more or improve, both personally and professionally.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: Providing an informative introduction, making it non-intimidating, and offering genuine feedback at the end. Also she did not rush, and really listened and responded to what I was saying, rather than following along or following rehearsed lines.
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Client: MARIA DI CARLO | Actor: CHARLIE BOND
Describe your experience in 3 words: Challenging, Affirming, Fascinating
How do you feel following your experience: Skills and understanding refreshed, enthusiasm and commitment to the process increased.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: Confidence that the process can be used informally at work and in community situations. Hope that I can be part of this and make a positive difference.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: Completely professional so encounter was realistic
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Client: KATHY POPE | Actor: TAMMY FRASER
Describe your experience in 3 words: Confidence-building, encouraging, helpful
How do you feel following your experience: A lot more confident. I know areas which I need to improve and practice, and I am actually looking forward to the next session. I feel like I can move forward, learn and advance my abilities.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: The confidence not only that I can actually do this, but also that with guidance and practice I can do it well, and achieve what I would like to achieve with the delivery of my speech.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: To be encouraging, and to give tips on how to deliver sentences and put the meaning of the words I am saying into my facial and body language.
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Client: AMY HARRISON | Actor: CHRISSIE MUIR
Describe your experience in 3 words: Invaluable, intense, reflective
How do you feel following your experience: Very good resource tool to practice your listening skills. I feel more confident in undertaking a real-life, live conversation.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: I found it a very useful exercise. The feedback was particularly useful in understanding how my delivery was received and what points could have impeded progress to achieve the desired outcome.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: Provided some very useful feedback
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Client: TERRY STANTON | Actor: ANA TORRE
Describe your experience in 3 words: Enjoyable and rewarding
How do you feel following your experience: Emotional and very happy about how
the session went. I was worried at how I would do but Ruth was so convincing that I soon got into my role.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: Ruth's feedback was very positive which is very encouraging for me. It was such a useful experience that seemed totally real.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: When I asked her questions she didn't respond straightaway as she was nervous and that seemed completely in character with a teenage girl who had got into trouble and can't articulate her feelings well.
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Client: SUE TOWNSEND | Actor: RUTH HARGREAVES
Describe your experience in 3 words: Great, rewarding and positive
How do you feel following your experience: It has been a really positive experience and has given me the opportunity to explore and greaten my skills.
What is the main thing you will take away from your session: How each session can be very different even though it's the same scenario.
How well your actor put you at ease: 5
Actor challenged you appropriately: 5
Actor offered helpful feedback: 5
Most useful thing actor did: Allowed me to explore both sides of my victims character i.e. the first time she was very forthcoming with telling me her feelings and situation. The second time we revisited this she was very withdrawn and didn’t really want to talk.
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Client: HAYLEY ROWE | Actor: AJJAZ AWAD
If you'd like to see the full feedback there's a PDF here with more detail. But if you've seen enough, why not contact us now to see how we can help.