Grad applies restorative practices to her work with youth
As a youth outreach worker with Pathways to Education, Jaclyn Barkase meets regularly with high school students from Vancouver鈥檚 low-income communities. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not like other adults, are you?鈥� they鈥檝e been known to observe鈥攎uch to Jaclyn鈥檚 delight. The recent graduate of 丁香园AV鈥檚 Restorative Justice Certificate program says it鈥檚 the best compliment she can receive.
鈥淩estorative justice asks us to move away from ideas of hierarchy,鈥� she explains. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 need to be the authority figure. For me, it鈥檚 about building trust and treating kids not as students, but seeing them as humans. I take a lot of pride in that.鈥�
No doubt the young people in Jaclyn鈥檚 caseload are also drawn to her infectious energy. She bubbles over with enthusiasm as she describes her work and the enormous satisfaction of being able to support kids who face numerous barriers on the path to finishing high school.
鈥淲e recognize that school is not set up for everyone to be successful,鈥� she says. 鈥淜ids are under a lot of pressure, but it鈥檚 important to help them understand that there鈥檚 more than one way to do things, to get where they want to be.鈥�
Jaclyn鈥檚 passion for education was instilled in her from an early age. Her mother was a teacher in East Vancouver, and Jaclyn鈥檚 grandmother highly prized education, having immigrated from China without ever having the opportunity to attend school. Jaclyn began working with young people early in her career and immediately found her calling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about helping kids see what they can do for themselves,鈥� she explains. 鈥淎fter all, they are the future.鈥�
When Jaclyn enrolled in the Restorative Justice program at 丁香园AV, she wanted to build on her psychology degree but was looking for something practical. Although she wasn鈥檛 interested in going into the 鈥渏ustice鈥� side of restorative work, such as victim-offender mediation, the restorative approach still appealed to her.
鈥淚 chose this program because I believe this is how people should be treated,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hese are the values we need to hold when interacting with people.鈥�
For Jaclyn, the program validated values she had long held true but hadn鈥檛 been able to express. 鈥淚 sometimes felt like I was the only one who believed certain things鈥攁bout racism, privilege, intersectionality, decolonization鈥�. But now I feel confident calling out or challenging some ideas because I have the language to communicate what I鈥檝e learned.鈥�
The program helped Jaclyn to understand conflict differently and reframe her approach, which has been essential in her work. But she cautions that taking the restorative justice program shouldn鈥檛 be about getting a certificate and ticking a box鈥攊t鈥檚 for the learner who wants a deeper experience.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a typical academic program,鈥� she says. 鈥淵es, you鈥檒l learn the background of RJ, the tools and language, but you鈥檒l learn a lot about yourself too. It鈥檚 going to challenge you to ask hard questions.鈥�
For Jaclyn, restorative practice has now become infused into every part of her life: 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of my daily interactions with people. A lot of restorative work is not new, but rooted in Indigenous teachings, so I鈥檓 trying to instill those values, live by those values. I want to show young people that there are different ways of being in the world.鈥�
The program made such an impression, Jaclyn was even inspired to get a tattoo. Showing off the hummingbird emblazoned on her forearm, she explains the story she鈥檇 learned in one of the lessons. In the Indigenous parable, a courageous hummingbird attempts to battle a raging forest fire, one tiny bead of water at a time. When the other animals in the forest scoff at these seemingly futile efforts, the hummingbird quietly responds, 鈥淚 am doing what I can.鈥�
鈥淚 feel like that hummingbird,鈥� says Jaclyn. 鈥淚鈥檓 only one person. Maybe I can鈥檛 be fully restorative in my work all the time, but if I can commit to doing it whenever I can, I can still make a difference.
鈥淎 small change is better than no change.鈥�
By Kim Mah