RES 466 Draft 01 2024-2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Project Information * 48. Project Title EXHIBIT A Peace Circle Training 49. Project Start Date 02/05/2026 50. Project End Date 02/07/2026 51. Please select all areas of Hawaii Island where the project will be administered, delivered, and implemented. North Kohala North Kona South Kohala South Kona 52. Please select the district of the Council Member from which you would like to apply for Contingency Relief Funds. Council District 8 * 53. In 2,000 characters or less, describe the project. West Hawai'i Mediation Center (WHMC) is implementing a Peace Circle Training. Peace Circles are a restorative process that creates a dialogical space to build connection, strengthen relationships, and resolve harm and conflict. The roots of peacemaking circles rest in indigenous wisdom and practice, particularly among First Nations peoples of what is now North America. In this way, engaging in a Peace Circle aims to engage the principles of interconnectedness, wholeness, and harmony. Circle work approaches participants holistically - recognizing physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. In this way, there are strong parallels to Native Hawaiian understandings of ho'oponopono. Peace circles are a versatile process that can be used in multiple contexts. For example, in cases of crime or harm where the impact is felt across numerous people, a peace circle provides a structured process for holding challenging conversations. They work well to resolve conflicts involving 7-20 people. In my role as the Executive Director, I have used Peace Circles to address threats of harm and trauma in a workplace, hold accountable four youth facing Class C misdemeanor charges for vandalism and trespassing, resolve conflicts involving race and racism in a faith community, and, with families discerning how to welcome back relatives recently incarcerated. Peace Circles can be used to celebrate life achievements, build connections between youth, hold space for grief, reflect on homework assignments, hold offenders accountable, support victims of crime, and resolve conflict in group settings. They are not only a tool that fits within the work of the mediation center, but are a valuable tool for those working in social services, nonprofits, and education. In this way, the project also offers an opportunity to learn about restorative justice and to receive hands-on training in its implementation. *54. 501(c)(3) Mission Statement To help people resolve conflict. * 55. In 1,000 characters or less, explain how the 501(c)(3) is connected to the project. Expanding our conflict -resolution toolkit through Peace Circles aligns with our mission: helping people resolve conflict. We know that everyone experiences conflict. But not all conflicts require the same kind of "space" to resolve them. Peace Circles provide a mechanism to address harm or conflict that involves a larger number of people than a typical mediation. The Executive Director, Eric Paul, is a trained Circle Keeper, practitioner, and trainer in restorative justice. He will be providing the community training. Funding enables the WHMC to make this free to the public. * 56. Please upload a completed CRF Grant Budget Form. CRF Budget WHMC Peace Circles.xlsx