Profile - Kristin Reimer

Kristin grew up in her birth country of Canada in a Mennonite community, where the principles of Restorative Practice were just accepted as the way things were done.

The first victim-offender reconciliation meeting occurred in the 1970s near where Kristin was raised, at the suggestion of a Mennonite parole officer. This is seen as the start of Restorative Processes being used in Western justice systems.

   
Whilst undertaking her studies for her degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, Kristin investigated more thoroughly how Restorative Justice worked and later, during the six years she spent working with a Mennonite organisation in the USA, she used Restorative Justice principles when dealing with youth victims and offenders.

Subsequently, Kristin spent time teaching in North Korea, and it was during this time she became acutely aware that teaching and Restorative Practice were inextricably aligned through their focus on relationships.

Kristin feels both education and Restorative Practice have the power to transform who we are, how we are with one another and how we structure our societies to be just and equitable.