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We acknowledge that the lands on which RFNL's offices are situated are the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect the histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit of this province.

RFNL Website Overview

About Us

As an organization Relationships First NL (RFNL) is in a period of growth. We began in 2012 in the context of education, encouraging the development of relational school cultures where everyone, when they were  honoured as worthy and interconnected, could find a place to belong. We were guided by a framework of three circles connected around a centre of core beliefs. Over time, this way of thinking led us into spaces of deep learning, relearning, and unlearning. As we engaged with more and more people, we were encouraged to recognize the relevance of restorative justice for all aspects of society.

Evans & vaandering, 2016

As such RFNL is expanding to encourage this thinking in the areas of Community and Justice as well. Through this process of learning and connecting, RFNL was led into an important, transformational relationship with Indigenous Peoples of this Land. 

With this website, our goal is to model relationality through our interactions with those interested in restorative justice online and in-person, in all of society.

We have adapted the original three-circle diagram to reflect some of the important learning that has occurred and the framework that informs our current work.

RFNL Framework, 2022

Our Website Structure

There are four elements of relational practice which are of equal importance:

Connecting
Empowering
Achieving
Creating 

These elements have been developed and practiced in the contexts of management, health-care, education, and can be recognized in traditional models of restorative justice. 

At RFNL we strive to actively engage with all aspects of relational humanity. The choice to divide this website into four main sections was directly influenced by our continued learning about authentic relational practice. 

Our Logo

The outer shape of the RFNL logo has six sides. We see the hexagon as a representation of love, mercy, and justice. 

The four connected circles at the centre signify the importance of Circle practice in restorative justice, and the four elements of relational practice noted above.

Through reflection on the elements of relational practice and inspired by our strong connection to the environment we inhabit, we have chosen colours for our logo based upon the natural elements: Air (yellow), Fire (red), Water (blue), and Earth (green).

If you have any questions about our logo or would like to discuss any of this information further, please do not hesitate to reach out.