What is a Peacemaking Circle?

A peacemaking circle is a structured dialogue process used to bring people together to better understand one another, foster and strengthen bonds, and solve community issues. Peacekeeping circles are based on restorative principles that are rooted in ancient tribal conflict resolution rituals. People have gathered in circles since the beginning of humankind for a very good reason. The circle is a container for building community and celebrating life.

As Kay Pranis notes in The Little Book of Circle Processes, "Circles assume a universal human wish to be connected to others in a good way. The values of a Circle derive from this basic human impulse. Therefore values that nurture and promote good connections to others are the foundation of the Circle." These values include: the inherent dignity and worth of each person, trust and respect, compassion, non-judgment, inclusiveness, understanding, open-heartedness, honesty and courage.

Peacemaking circles bring people together to connect for a common purpose, without judgment. Circles are being used in neighborhoods to provide support for those hurt by crime and to determine sentences for those who commit crime, in schools to establish positive classroom environments and deal with behavior problems, in the workplace to resolve conflict, and in social services to create more organic support systems for people struggling to get their lives back on track.

In "Healing the Wounds of Street Violence: Peacemaking Circles and Community Youth Development," sociology professor Carolyn Boyes-Watson addresses the importance of this kind of restorative process: "Circles are about practicing a new way to be in the world. They are about incrementally shifting habits and practicing to be in a different way with one another and ourselves. Circles develop skills at participation, consensus, shared leadership, and problem solving, all of which are…essential tools for genuine democracy and social justice….They…help us see ourselves as part of a connected whole." To learn more, look inside The Little Book of Circle Processes : A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking.