Using restorative practices in out-of-school physical activity programs

This chapter outlines restorative practices and its potential application in out-of-school time (OST) physical activity programs. Restorative justice is a philosophy of crime that prioritizing including victims, offenders, and other stakeholders in a process to resolve crime and address related harms that are caused by crime. Restorative practices are an extension of restorative justice that recognized conflict and harm as natural to relationships. Proactive relationship building is a focus of restorative practices along with reactive measures to address harm. We outline three common restorative pedagogies including, a) affective statements and questions, b) restorative circles, and c) restorative conferences. We then discuss how the Restorative Youth Sports model has specific applications to OST physical activity programs. RYS includes three areas of pedagogy that align with restorative practices including a) restorative essentials, b) awareness circles, and c) team meetings. By implementing the RYS model in OST contexts, youth can have the opportunity to reflect upon the impact of their behavior on their communities. Moreover, it also provides an opportunity for youth to understand systemic harms caused on punitive measures. We hope this approach will be meaningful to all youth in OST programs, especially those who have negative experiences in public schools.