Restorative Justice Design Process

Dear alumni, staff, and others directly connected to the University of Guelph’s cross-country and middle-distance track programmes since the late 1990’s,

Members of the University of Guelph and a group of alumni athletes have been working with the aid of external facilitators, as a Design Group, to create a restorative process aimed at hearing from alumni athletes and staff who were connected to the cross-country and middle-distance programmes between 1997-2020. Together, the Design Group has established a process to learn about the range of experiences that impacted the well-being and success of students and student-athletes.

The University of Guelph cares deeply about the experiences of our student-athletes, staff, and alumni community. The University acknowledges the wide range of experiences of athletes and staff associated with the cross-country and track programmes. As such, you are invited to participate in a process that will enable the University to further learn from the past experiences of athletes, staff, and others directly connected to these programmes. You are receiving this invitation because hearing directly from those involved is critical and part of the continued commitment to creating safer and supportive environments at the University of Guelph. Ultimately, the University is committed to learning how it can continue to strengthen broader institutional response mechanisms and support student success and well-being.

The alumni athletes that are part of the Design Group have been very clear that their intention in entering into this collaboration with the University is to share their experiences and knowledge to improve upon the athletics programme at the University of Guelph and to contribute to a safer and healthier sport culture. Participants are invited to contribute in the spirit of the process and its goals.

The Design Group is aware that for some alumni and staff members this period was incredibly difficult. We (the Design Group) are committed to creating an emotionally supportive environment that is thoughtful and responsive to participants and the restorative process. Our purpose for a restorative process is not an investigation, but rather an opportunity to learn from past experiences with the aim of informing changes that can support the well-being and success of current and future athletes and strengthen the programme.

Overall, the restorative justice process we have designed, has three phases:

Phase One:

• Is an opportunity for alumni athletes of our cross-country and middle-distance track programmes, and directly associated staff, to participate in group sessions. During these sessions, participants can share insights from their experiences, discuss the challenges they faced and identify what was, or could have been, supportive towards their well-being and success.
• Participants will be assigned to a group conversation based on their connection to the programmes. These sessions will be conducted virtually and facilitated by external facilitators (Just Outcomes) trained in restorative work.
• Facilitators will be supportive of healthy dialogue and responsive to individual and group needs. Sessions will be intentionally structured to allow for sharing and learning.
• Participants will remain anonymous.
• No person will be required to participate in the process.
• The external facilitators will create a report outlining the ideas, themes and insights that emerge from these sessions.
• The report will be forwarded to the Design Team and may inform the work of Phase Two.

Phase Two:

• Key members of the University community will come together to review and discuss the report from Phase One.

Phase Three:

• This phase will look at opportunities for the University to share key learnings from the process and to discuss core themes and ideas to support the University’s ongoing commitment to contributing to a safer and healthier sport culture on campus.
• This will be planned as the process progresses and could include a Day of Learning event or series of events on campus.

We (the Design Group) sincerely hope that you will consider this invitation to participate.

To learn additional information about the process, please visit the Restorative Design Process webpage. Please feel free to forward this invitation and the website to alumni teammates and related staff members of these programmes.

If you would like to learn more about the process, you are also invited to register for one of the Information Sessions being hosted by the Design Group. These sessions are intended to elaborate on what you might expect from the process and to address questions. The Information Sessions will be held virtually during the following date and times:

Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 11:00am until 12:15pm (ET)

• This session is for alumni athletes only.

Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 12:30pm until 1:45pm (ET)

• This is an open session for those connected to the experience (including, but not limited to staff and alumni athletes).

Please be sure to visit the website for updated information about the process and to confirm the dates and times.

How to Register for an Information Session:

To register to attend an information session, please complete an online form on the Just Outcomes website. 

How to Register to Receive More Information about the Process in the Future or to Register to Participate: 

In order to receive more information about the process, or to register to participate, please complete an online form on the Just Outcomes website. 

If you have any questions about registering your information, please contact Catherine Bargen at Just Outcomes by emailing: catherine@justoutcomesconsulting.com and place the following in the subject line: “Guelph Restorative Process” [Or click here].

Thank you for your consideration and for helping us to create spaces where participants can thrive and achieve success.

The Design Group Team Members:

 Alumni Athlete Representatives:

• Jenn Dowling-Medley
• Robyn Mildren
• Sophie Watts

Alumni Athlete Advisor Representatives:

• Charlotte Ward
• Kelsey Serviss
• Rachel Cliff
• Katrina Allison

University of Guelph Representatives:

• Melinda Scott, Vice-Provost, Student Affairs
• Irene Thompson, Interim Vice-Provost Student Affairs (now retired from U of G)
• Harpreet Hansra, General Counsel
• Mary Murphy, General Counsel (now retired from U of G)
• Ann Pegoraro, Professor Lang School of Business, Co-director National Network for Research on Gender Equity in Canadian Sport
• Jan Klotz, Associate Director of Student Wellness
• Kristin Lennan, Associate Director of Residence Life
• Shannon Thibodeau, Manager of Student Engagement and Leadership
• Jessica Westlake, Executive Assistant to the Vice-Provost 

Restorative Lab Representatives:

• Jennifer Llewellyn, Professor Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Chair in Restorative Justice
• Melissa MacKay, Associate, Restorative Lab, Dalhousie University

Just Outcomes (External Facilitators) Representatives:

• Catherine Bargen, Director and Lead Consultant
• Michelle Jackett, Senior Consultant

Yes. While the Design Group made every effort to reach out to as many people connected to the scope of the process as possible, we recognize that updated contact information may not be available for all invitees. Therefore, recipients are invited to share this invitation and the website link with others who they believe may be connected to the scope of the Design Process. Your contribution and outreach are important to the inclusivity and success of this work.

Invitations were extended to student-athletes and Athletics staff members who were directly involved with the middle-distance track team or in cross country at the University of Guelph between 1997-2020.

• Alumni Athletes: 

Within the scope of the Design Process, invitations were sent using the most up-to-date contact information that athletes had previously shared with the University. Recognizing that there may have been changes to alumni athletes’ contact information, the University provided an option for recipients to forward the invitation to others who they believe may fall within the scope of the Design Process. 

• Current and Former Staff: 

Current and former staff members who were identified within the scope of the Design Process were directly invited. Recipients were also provided with the option to forward the invitation to others who they believe may fall within the scope of the Design Process.

• University Administrators: 

Phase One of the Design Process does not include current or former members of the University administration. 

Overall, the restorative justice process has three phases: 

Phase One:

• Is an opportunity for alumni athletes of our cross-country and middle-distance track programmes, and directly associated staff, to participate in group sessions.  During these sessions, participants can share insights from their experiences, discuss the challenges they faced and identify what was, or could have been, supportive towards their well-being and success.
• Participants will be assigned to a group conversation based on their connection to the programmes. These sessions will be conducted virtually and facilitated by external facilitators trained in restorative work.
• Participants will have options as to which type of group conversation they will be placed. 
• Facilitators will be supportive of healthy dialogue and responsive to individual and group needs.  Sessions will be intentionally structured to allow for sharing and learning. 
• Participants will remain anonymous. 
• No person will be required to participate in the process. 
• The external facilitators will create a report outlining the ideas, themes and insights that emerge from these sessions. 
• The report will be forwarded to the Design Team and may inform the work of Phase Two. 

Phase Two:

• Key members of the University community will come together to review and discuss the report from Phase One. 

Phase Three:

• This phase will look at opportunities for the University to share key learnings from the process and to discuss core themes and ideas to support the University’s ongoing commitment to contributing to a safer and healthier sport culture on campus. 
• This will be planned as the process progresses and could include a Day of Learning event, or series of events, on campus.

Sessions will be in small groups. It is estimated that each group will be composed of 5-6 participants. However, the size of each group will be dependent on the number of people who register. This group session format will facilitate hearing from all individuals who would like to participate. Each of the groups will be selected by the Just Outcomes external facilitators with the objective of creating groups that foster a respectful environment for sharing and facilitating discussions among peers. Alumni athletes and staff will have options as to which type of group they will be placed, in alignment with their connection to the programme. If uncomfortable participating within a given group, there will be an alternative option for a limited number of participants to participate in a one-on-one session with a facilitator. Decisions about scheduling one-on-one sessions will be made at the discretion of the facilitator.  Those who choose to participate in one-on-one sessions will engage in the same session structure as those who participate in group sessions.

The facilitators will be employing a set of questions that are designed to foster discussion and explore the experiences of participants. The external consultants will review the results of each group session and organize the learnings into themes to be shared with the University.

All sessions will be conducted online.

It is anticipated that the launch of Phase One will occur in June 2024. To remain informed and engaged, you are welcome to register with Just Outcomes, as described in the ‘How to Register to Participate in the Process’ section of this webpage.

Registration continues to be open for individuals interested in learning more about the process or actively participating in Phase One of the Restorative Process. The Design Group encourages those who align with the scope of the process to register before the end of May (2024) to secure their participation in Phase One. As the process progresses, timelines for Phase Two and Three will be shared on this webpage and communicated to those that register with Just Outcomes to participate or to learn more about the process. 

All information provided to the University of Guelph will be anonymized and the external facilitators will use this information to extract and compile major themes (as opposed to individual names or stories). These major themes will be used to generate a report that will then be shared with the Design Group and the University to inform the next phase of this restorative justice process. 

Although the facilitators will highlight the importance of maintaining confidentiality to create a respectful, safe, and open space for dialogue, the Design Group cannot guarantee that fellow participants will not share what was said in sessions. No one will be obligated to share anything they do not wish to disclose.

As an institution, U of G cares deeply about the experiences of the student-athletes, staff, and alumni community. The University acknowledges the wide range of experiences of athletes and staff associated with the cross-country and track programmes. As such, the University is reaching out because hearing directly from past student-athletes, staff, and alumni is critical for creating safe and supportive environments at U of G. The University is committed to learning how we can continue to strengthen broader institutional response mechanisms and support student success and well-being.

The U of G and the Design Group are aware that for some alumni this period was incredibly difficult. We are committed to creating an emotionally supportive environment that is thoughtful and responsive to participants and the restorative process.

The information on this page will be updated as needed, and as information arises throughout each of the three phases of the design process. If you have questions, or if you would like additional information, please contact the Design Group directly by emailing: designgroup@uoguelph.ca. Please be sure to visit the website frequently for the most updated information about the process.

Please be sure to visit the website frequently for the most updated information about process related dates and times. 

The restorative justice process is the result of a collaboration between a group of alumni, the University of Guelph, and facilitated by the Restorative Justice Lab at Dalhousie University. The following people were involved and known as the Design Group: 

Alumni Athlete Representatives:

• Jenn Dowling-Medley
• Robyn Mildren
• Sophie Watts

Alumni Athlete Advisor Representatives:

• Charlotte Ward
• Kelsey Serviss
• Rachel Cliff
• Katrina Allison

 University of Guelph Representatives:

• Melinda Scott, Vice-Provost, Student Affairs 
• Irene Thompson, Interim Vice-Provost Student Affairs (now retired from U of G)
• Harpreet Hansra, General Counsel
• Mary Murphy, General Counsel (now retired from U of G)
• Ann Pegoraro, Professor Lang School of Business, Co-director National Network for Research on Gender Equity in Canadian Sport
• Jan Klotz, Associate Director of Student Wellness
• Kristin Lennan, Associate Director of Residence Life
• Shannon Thibodeau, Manager of Student Engagement and Leadership
• Jessica Westlake, Executive Assistant to the Vice-Provost 

Restorative Lab Representatives:

• Jennifer Llewellyn, Professor Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, Chair in Restorative Justice
• Melissa MacKay, Associate, Restorative Lab, Dalhousie University

Just Outcomes (External Facilitators) Representatives:

• Catherine Bargen, Director and Lead Consultant
• Michelle Jackett, Senior Consultant

In 2020, a small group of alumni athletes, in partnership with representatives from the Restorative Lab at Dalhousie University, extended an invitation to the University of Guelph to participate in creating a Restorative Design process. The University accepted this invitation and agreed to engage with this group of alumni to design a Restorative Process. A smaller subset of three representatives were identified by this group of alumni to serve as the primary contacts for the University. 

While the Design Group has established the framework for the process, external facilitators (Just Outcomes) will implement Phase One of the process and are responsible for working with participants in a manner that allows for a range of experiences and perspectives to be shared. The alumni representatives will not be involved with data collection or aggregation and will not be privy to information shared by individual participants in the sessions. Their role has been to provide insight on the overall restorative design process, not to determine its outcomes or findings.

Just Outcomes are the external facilitators hired by the University, in consultation with the Design Group, to help facilitate the process. Just Outcomes supports communities and organizations in reimagining just responses to harm and its causes. For more information about the firm and its members, please visit the Just Outcomes website.

If you would like to learn more about the process, you are also invited to participate in one of the Information Sessions being hosted by the Design Group to help elaborate on what to expect from the process and to address questions. 

The Information Sessions will be held virtually during the following date and times:

Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 11:00am until 12:15pm (ET)

• This session is for Alumni Athletes only.

Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 12:30pm until 1:45pm (ET)

• This is an open session for those connected to the experience (including, but not limited to staff, athletes, and alumni).

Please be sure to check this webpage for the most updated information about the process and to confirm any related process dates and times. 

To register to attend an information session, please complete an online form on the Just Outcomes website. If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Bargen at Just Outcomes by emailing: catherine@justoutcomesconsulting.com and place the following in the subject line: “Guelph Restorative Process” [Or click here].

In order to receive more information about the process, please complete an online form on the Just Outcomes website. If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Bargen at Just Outcomes by emailing: catherine@justoutcomesconsulting.com and place the following in the subject line: “Guelph Restorative Process” [Or click here].

To register to participate, please complete an online form on the Just Outcomes website. If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Bargen at Just Outcomes by emailing: catherine@justoutcomesconsulting.com and place the following in the subject line: “Guelph Restorative Process” [Or click here].

To contact the Design Group directly with questions about process or scope, please email: designgroup@uoguelph.ca

This process is designed for listening and learning, but it is understandable that this invitation to participate may be difficult and triggering for some. Participating in a restorative justice process may be a personal and vulnerable experience. There is no obligation to participate, share or discuss anything unless you wish to do so. For anyone needing support prior to, during or after participation, we have the following supports available:

The following support services are available for all faculty, staff, and students:

• Student Counselling Services, 519-824-4120 Ext. 53244
• Crisis Text Line, text “UofG” to 686868
• Here 24/7 (mental health resource): 1-844-437-3247
• Employee assistance programme for faculty and staff, 1-800-265-8310

The following support service is available for alumni:

• Here 24/7 (mental health resource): 1-844-437-3247