Our Vision
We have a vision of a world that embraces the restorative justice values of power-sharing, fairness, equality, dignity and respect and where power abuse is rooted out. We pursue our vision by using the bio-power of restorative justice as this is articulated through its ethos and practices including non-violent communication and democratic dialogue.
Our Mission
RJ4All has a mission to address power abuse, conflict, and poverty through the use of restorative justice values and practices. We advance democratic engagement, equality, community cohesion and human rights by delivering social justice and poverty relief projects, educational programmes, youth justice services, intercultural and awareness-raising workshops, internships, and high-quality volunteering opportunities.
As part of our mission, we set off on a journey to build the world’s first Restorative Justice Postcode, creating an evidence-based case study of community cohesion, true dēmos (people) and kratos (rule), and power redistribution for others to follow.
Our Values
At RJ4All, our people and projects embody the restorative justice values of: Power Sharing, Equality, Dignity, Respect, Fairness and involvement in decision-making.
The Problems We Address
Dēmokratia (democracy) assumes that the people (demos) have the power to determine how the rule is shaped and implemented (kratos). However, we know that public trust in governments and institutions has been declining, while accountability is compromised at all levels. This erosion of trust is closely linked to perceived and real experiences of inequality and flaws in justice, education, and health systems.
Despite economic challenges, the affluent have consolidated power, exacerbating the impoverishment of the less privileged, exemplified by the richest 1% owning over 50% of the world’s wealth. Simultaneously, amidst the global decline in public trust and justice performance, there has been a surge in community voice and action, redefined in a borderless, digital world that wants to “Speak up”.
However, marginalised groups, facing discrimination based on factors like age, race, gender, belief, socio-economic background, disability, or sexual orientation, often lack resources and a voice to challenge the powerful. RJ4All was founded to confront this challenge, empowering the voiceless and redistributing power for social justice. We pursue our vision by using the power of restorative justice dialogue, education, sports and art. We build stronger democracies through bottom-up structures infused with restorative justice.
Our Pursuit of Success: Redistributing Power – Achieving social justice
At RJ4All, we are driven by the vision of constructing a better world and stronger democracies, not just locally, but on a national and international scale through the impactful redistribution of power. We channel our efforts through educational and social action programs, using the power of dialogue, education, sports and art, as well as the practices of restorative justice. RJ4All serves as a vital bridge between the influential, such as governments and decision-makers, and communities. Acting as both a conduit and mediator, we provide voice, representation, and effective bottom-up communication routes tailored to our target groups.
"RJ4All does what it says on the tin! It offers restorative justice for all through its practices but also values of power-sharing, equality dignity, respect and involvement in decision-making. We do this through four interlinked arms: the RJ4All International Institute, the RJ4All Community Centre, RJ4All Sports and RJ4All Publications. These four pillars aim to provide a holistic solution to community tensions increasing community cohesion through the provision of local, national and international services. It is my dream that RJ4All becomes a world movement that will see the local and international community rising to the injustices that we have all silently accepted, and through partnership working to achieve a better future for all"
Dr. Theo Gavrielides - RJ4All Founder & Director
Our Three-year Strategy
In January 2023, the Board, staff, interns and volunteers of RJ4All met with service users to debate and sign off our new 3-year strategy. This was based on several drafts that had been informed by ongoing debates with external stakeholders about why we exist, our focus, messages, work and impact.
Alongside these discussions, we carry out reviews of the external environment. These help us understand our place within the charity sector, education, equality, youth and the justice system. The reviews examine trends in attitudes and look at the private and government funding environments. The strategy is not a theoretical paper, but a journey through which RJ4All conceptualises day-to-day efforts amongst its diverse team who are committed to strengthening the local and international communities that they serve