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OUR STORY

Jacki and Don were supervisors at Delaware County Juvenile Court when they took a training in March, 2002, which would transform their lives. The Juvenile Court Judges Commission in Pennsylvania brought Kay Pranis in from Minnesota to do a four-day Peacemaking Circle training. The training was based on a First Nation’s dialogue process, and those four days placed both Jacki and Don on a different path. The three(Jacki, Don and Trish, Director of the local mediation center) returned to Delaware County and began six months of planning to bring circle training to their county. In the meantime, Jacki started using circles with middle school students and with offenders in the juvenile court. Don helped with the offender circles, but also modified circle for use with his graduate classes at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Before long, the circle trainings were underway. Jacki and Don have now trained at least three hundred people locally on circle process, including one whole school district from top to bottom; administrators, teachers, social workers and guidance personnel. They have taught (along with their mediation partners, Trish and Jennifer) mediators, probation officers,lawyers, teachers, social workers, drug and alcohol counselors and many community members. They have also trained staff at two juvenile residential treatment programs, the most recent being Mars Home For Youth in Mars, PA. They have also offered their training through the Juvenile Court Judges Commission in Pennsylvania. Don has traveled nationally to speak on the application of circle dialogue to classrooms, and while he is a graduate professor, he advocates for the pervasive application of circles throughout all schools. Although they have not done circle dialogue training for industry, the potential impact for increasing employee productivity and job satisfaction is immense. Jacki and Don believe that the use of circle dialogue is almost unlimited in its application, and is much needed in this time when we have forgotten how to converse, and listen. Are you ready for transformation?