Who We Are

Peacebuilders is a non-profit organization based in Toronto that seeks to improve access to justice for young people in conflict with the law and advocate for change in our justice, child welfare and education systems.

Through our supportive programming, training and advocacy, Peacebuilders promotes restorative approaches to justice as more developmentally appropriate ways to work with youth and adolescents in conflict and support their emotional growth, critical reflection and positive decision-making skills. Peacebuilders uses restorative programs in the youth court to offer meaningful alternatives for youth and in the education system help students and teachers manage conflict, activate safer school environments for learning and support youth, adolescents and families as they navigate the child welfare system.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice is a way of addressing conflict that enables the individual who caused harm, the people who were affected by it, and the larger community to work together to create a meaningful resolution. In contrast to criminal justice responses, which seek to punish each act of wrongdoing, restorative justice focuses on repairing harm and restoring relationships.

Restorative practices not only provide us with tools to deal with conflict more effectively and responsibly than punitive approaches, they also provide us with a better framework for understanding conflict—how it arises and who is affected by it. For young people in our education and justice systems, punitive responses, such as suspensions and expulsions or criminal charges, do not address the underlying causes that led to conflict, nor do they recognize that young people in conflict with the justice system or at school are often victims too.

Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act includes several provisions that are consistent with restorative justice principles and practices including Section 3 (Principles), Section 10 (Extrajudicial measures), Section 19 (Conferences), and Section 42 (Youth sentences).

At Peacebuilders, we use restorative practices to keep young people out of the criminal justice system, make schools safer places for learning and development, and build strong and healthy communities. We developed Peacebuilding Circles, which were adapted from the Peacemaking Circles practiced in many First Nations in Canada, in particular those used in the Carcross/ Tagish First Nation.

Social Justice

Young people with social and economic disadvantages and racialized youth are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Young people in the justice system have higher rates of mental health issues, learning and cognitive challenges, substance use issues, histories of trauma and maltreatment, and homelessness.

Their struggles often reflect deficiencies in our education and child welfare systems: in Ontario, 36% of youth in custody are not enrolled in school and 49% are in the care of children’s aid societies. Once in contact with the law, these challenges are exacerbated by the stigma associated with criminal justice involvement, strict bail and probation orders, and punishments that are antithetical to rehabilitation.

At Peacebuilders, we’re committed to ensuring that youth and families are not only provided with access to justice, but access to social justice. This means addressing the underlying factors that lead to youth involvement in the justice system and advocating for policy reforms that meaningfully engage youth, their families and communities, and make them stronger.