Victim-Offender Conferencing Training

You must attend all 24 hours to receive a Certificate of Completion.

Location:        Good Shepherd Mediation Program

5356 Chew Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19138

To register, go to www.phillymediators.org or call Cynthia at 215-843-5413

This Victim Offender Conferencing workshop will prepare you to facilitate meetings between juveniles who have been arrested for delinquent acts, their families, and those whom the juveniles have harmed. The facilitated discussions are designed to encourage the youths to take responsibility for their actions, better understand how their actions impact others, give them the opportunity to make amends with those they have harmed and their community; and make positive changes in their lives. Statistics show that 89 percent of juvenile offenders who participate in the Good Shepherd Mediation Program’s Victim-Offender Conferencing maintain an arrest-free record for at least two years after completing the program.

 The Victim-Offender Conferencing Training includes: an introduction to restorative justice principles; instruction on meeting facilitation skills; and learning how to conduct face-to-face meetings between victims and offending youth in order to facilitate restoration, healing, restitution, and reconciliation between the victim and offender.

While this course was designed for mediators wishing to volunteer at Good Shepherd Mediation Program, the skills are transferrable to other restorative justice diversion programs.

Trainers

Randy Duque, Managing Director, is the Court and Community Services Manager at Good Shepherd Mediation Program, coordinates the Summary Offender Diversion Program, Impact of Auto Theft Program, and Youth Aid Panel workshops. He holds and undergraduate degree in Biological Anthropology and a Master's Degree in Applied Communication and Conflict Processes, both from Temple University. Randy gained conflict resolution experience and training skills from his work as a university instructor and as a graduate peer educator for Temple's Conflict Resolution Resource Team. Additionally, he has been associated with Good Shepherd since 2003 through his employment as the Dispute Resolution Skills Training Coordinator, volunteering as mediator, and through facilitating, Pre-Hearing Conferences at Philadelphia Family Court.

Adrian Sagan, Restorative Justice Specialist at Good Shepherd Mediation Program, has been involved in the criminal justice field as a victim advocate, counselor, program coordinator and workshop facilitator. He is a mediator and restorative justice practitioner with experience in community mediation and victim and offender dialogue. Adrian is a restorative justice facilitator for Pennsylvania's Office of the Victim Advocate for cases of violent crime. Sagan holds a B.A. in Sociology and Human Services from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado and an M.S. in Criminal Justice from Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.