Why “Walking the Talk” Works for any Organisation

We have all heard the expressions, ‘walking the walk’ and ‘talking the talk’, but what about “Walking the Talk”? How can this help guide your organisation towards a stable, sustainable, restorative practice?

At Canadian Justice Initiatives (CJI), we always like to suggest materials that will help people delve deeper into the practices and principles of Restorative Justice. For anyone who wants to develop an ethics framework around these principles, especially within a larger organisation, we highly recommend the resourceful document “Walking the Talk”.

“Walking the Talk” invites you to decide for yourself which values will guide your unique organisation. It can help you discern what foundational values are important to you, especially within a restorative framework, and how you can help promote a long-sustaining culture change in your organisation.

“Restorative Justice is widely known and championed for its commitment to core values. Yet even the deepest commitment to those values is not enough. To ensure the quality of an organization’s work, or the long-term stability of that organization, or even the survival of Restorative Justice as an improved way to respond to crime and other kinds of injustice… They need to be tailored to fit, in order to help the organization function well.”

From “Walking the Talk”

Certain values are very important to the foundation of Restorative Justice, however, they’re not necessarily one-size-fits-all. How can you tell which ones will work within your organisation? How can you tailor your unique organisational ethics into a cohesive value system that can be relatable, achievable and sustainable?

This document will suggest ways for you to discern what values speak to you. It will help you sift through the unique circumstances created by your organisation, your community, your resources and your skills, to reveal what value system will work with the aspirations and commitments of the people working within your organisation. It will also suggest methods for addressing challenges and obstacles your agency might face.  

Reproduced from the larger CJI program, “Walking the Talk: Developing Ethics Frameworks for the Practice of Restorative Justice”, this CJI document is perfect for training and educational purposes. You are even welcome to reproduce any portion of this book, provided you acknowledge the source by printing the following statement on the material copies: “Courtesy of the Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association.”

If you would like a copy, please follow the instructions below for your Free download.

Document: “Walking the Talk”
Author: Susan Sharpe
How to Order: This online publication is available for download free of charge. FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW to download the pdf version.

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