Emanuela Biffi, staff member of the EFRJ, has been invited to give a lecture on RJ in an Italian high school (Udine, 17 March, 8.15-10.50). The lesson is integrated as part of the ‘Week of legality’ which is organised every year in the educational instutute Bearzi to raise awareness on different justice and safety issues in our societies.
The lesson will reach about 120 students from the last three years of high school (17-20 years old) and the professors who normally would have given the class during that morning. The presentation will include some basic information about RJ (definition, principles, practices), short films, exercises and role plays, to make these 2.5 hours interesting and interactive for this young audience.
Thanks to the cooperation with their teachers of English, the students already worked on RJ issues in the past weeks. They watched two films (from the art project ‘Inside the Distance’ of Sharon Daniel and a verbatin theatre of a RJ conference in a case of theft), discussed the contents (as part of the English class) and prepared questions to be asked during the lecture on 17 March.
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Most students, as well as all professors, showed a lot of interest in RJ. Among other questions, Biffi was asked how her understanding of justice changed over the past years working at the EFRJ, how could even minor crimes affect victims and communities, how are mediators trained and supervised, if RJ needs to be institutionalised in order to work, what is the link with transitional justice, and much much more. Students also actively participated in the role plays and exercises proposed.
