Laura currently works as the program manager of a promising pilot project that delivers youth-led restorative justice services to address the full spectrum of disciplinary offenses in three pilot schools. She trains a team of student volunteers (half of whom are bilingual) to lead several restorative processes including Connection Circles for relationship building, Restorative Mediation and Solution Circles that address crime or conflict on school grounds. Restorative Justice (RJ) focuses on equal voice for all participants, harm and repair, and the 5 R's of relationship, respect, responsibility, repair and reintegration. Along with RJ processes, she leads training for the Student RJ Team in high-level facilitation skills such as active listening, re-framing, listening for needs, effective ways to deal with conflict, working with adults, managing power dynamics in circles, and building consensus.
Laura graduated from the Kroc Institute at the University of Notre Dame with a Masters in International Peace Studies in 2010. She has spent time working with various vulnerable populations including traumatized children, people living with HIV/AIDS, mental health patients, and at-risk youth. Her interest in cultivating empathy stems from working with children with attachment disorders and believing that teenagers can be effective agents of change in their social landscape.
