Community Justice Initiatives

We're grateful for the work of Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF). LEAF works to advance gender equality through litigation, law reform, and public legal education. We are featured as a community partner in their 2023/24 Annual Report. CJI has had the pleasure of supporting LEAF’s Avenues to Justice report which explored the barriers and opportunities to accessing restorative and transformative justice to address the needs that arise from sexual harm. To read about our involvement and approach to this work, check out page 18 of their annual report! Link: https://zurl.co/eCXY

We're so grateful for the support of the Zonta Club of K-W! The money we received from Zonta helps Stride Circles support for women and gender diverse people as they transition from prison into the community. Pictured here: Julia, our Stride Program and Circles Coordinator, and Valerie Meyer from Zonta!

We’re excited to be part of the Shared Living Collective alongside Karis Disability Services, oneROOF Youth Services, and Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region. This collective is a group of organizations, each offering unique affordable housing opportunities throughout Waterloo Region. Each Shared Living model is built on the value of relationships, sharing space, and housing affordability. Join us for an Open House on Monday, November 18th to learn about how you might support this creative opportunity to extend your home to someone in need and receive the reciprocal benefit of making new connections and contributing to housing affordability in our community. Learn more: https://zurl.co/RvwC

We're celebrating national attention for the innovative work of Revive’s Surrogacy program. Listen to a CBC Ideas episode to hear how we approach harm prevention through our dialogue services. If you want training or information on how we do this work, we'd love to connect! Our work is made possible by the community's generosity. We rely 100% on donations to continue our educational and support groups for those who have caused harm. Due to insufficient funding, we are currently unable to run these groups. If you believe in the power of dialogue to address the impact of sexual harm, please consider donating to support this work. *Content Warning: This episode includes discussions with people who have caused and been impacted by sexual harm. Listen: https://zurl.co/IXRW

We're going on-air! We're excited to share that the work of Revive is being featured on CBC's IDEAS Program on Monday, September 23rd at 8pm. Tune in to hear how we invite volunteers with lived experience to support the accountability and healing journeys of community members who are impacted by sexual harm. On Monday, you can listen live on CBC: https://zurl.co/o2v8 This episode will also be available on the CBC website for on-demand listening. Stay tuned for that link when it becomes available!

CJI is grateful to be invited into the work of Waterloo Region Friends of Palestine. Immerse yourself in community and join us on September 19th for a screening of an astonishing and powerful new film from Palestine: Where Olive Trees Weep. Following Palestinian journalist and therapist Ashira Darwish, grassroots activist Ahed Tamimi and others, the film explores themes of loss, trauma, and quest for justice. The film and the space will invite each of us into curiosities around our duty and role in peace-making. CJI staff will be supporting the event by being present to offer 1-1 care as we collectively witness the film. Hosting an event that you might want care support with? Connect with us at info@cjiwr.com Follow the link to purchase a ticket, funds from which go right to Waterloo Region Friends of Palestine: https://zurl.co/OUOW

Join us and friends this Thursday, September 5th at KPL to discuss local safer supply initiatives and how they prevent overdoses, reduce homelessness and benefit individual and community wellbeing. Learn more & register: https://zurl.co/JUGr

Like most social services supporting community members, volunteers are integral to our work. Within Mediation Services, volunteers journey alongside participants during times of conflict, distress, and harm. Much like the folks we serve, our trained volunteers are your neighbours, family members, friends, and colleagues. Our staff have the pleasure of fostering this community of peace practitioners that involves volunteer nights like the one we hosted this month. Some of our Mediation Services volunteers gathered at our office for a night of connection & curiosity. This month, we explored the role of needs in our work and how we can deepen our craft of inviting and meeting our needs and those of case participants. Much gratitude and respect for our volunteers!

Join Stride in offering community & reintegration support for people with experiences of incarceration. We spend time at Grand Valley Institution every week, participating in recreational activities alongside incarcerated individuals. As connections are formed, volunteers have the opportunity to continue supporting an individual as they return to the community after incarceration.     Representation matters. We encourage volunteer applicants who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, and those with physical disabilities, neurodivergence, and cognitive and sensory impairments. People of all ages, socioeconomic status, gender identities and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply.      We also recognize the implications of volunteering inside a prison, and the impact of being inside an environment built on oppression and racism. We provide support to volunteers through peer support nights and 1-on-1 meetings to navigate the impact of being in this challenging space.    Apply to volunteer directly: https://zurl.co/EXzI or contact ameliam@cjiwr.com for more information! Alt text available.

We gathered to celebrate and honour the passion, dedication, and care that Chris Cowie brought to his role as Executive Director for the past 15 years. Being a leader of an organization attempting to live out restorative values is not a simple task. Chris’ ability to take risks, hold integrity, and centre people created space for all of us to do the same with each other and the community. We wish him the best in the next steps of his journey! We are excited to welcome Kate Crozier into her role as Interim Executive Director. Kate has recently served as Director of Programs for Stride and Revive. We are confident that Kate’s passion for the work and outstanding leadership qualities will pave a good way forward for CJI! This picture captures some of our CJI team. Shout-out to the beauties who couldn’t make it for the photo!