Community restoration allows graduates to repair the harm caused by
their violence and to give back to the community by becoming violence
prevention advocates and mentors. Offenders continue mandatory
participation in violence prevention groups, education, and job
placement programs. They work with survivors and community
organizations to perform violence prevention education which include
theater productions and video links in schools and community centers.
The opportunity to engage the San Francisco community in RSVP's
message presents itself at Strike Out Violence Day, a collaboration
with the San Francisco Giants.
RSVP's Community Restoration Program provides offenders, survivors,
and community members with opportunities to contribute positively to
the restoration of all who are affected by violent acts through
personal encounters, art therapy, special events, outreach and
education, and public awareness projects.
STRIKE OUT VIOLENCE DAY: In collaboration with the San Francisco
Giants, RSVP coordinates Strike Out Violence Day, the first
partnership in the nation between a law enforcement agency and a major
league sports team, to educate the public about the after effects of
random and domestic violence. An on-field ceremony preceding the game
involves survivors, ex-offenders, deputy sheriffs, and Giants players
standing together in solidarity against violence. Resource cards
providing domestic violence statistics and phone numbers of services
for both victims and perpetrators are distributed to fans entering the
stadium. RSVP receives a portion of the proceeds from the day, which
are donated to support victim empowerment and violence prevention
activities.
THEATER: Soapstone Theater Company, composed of ex-offenders and
victim/survivors of violent crime, develops and performs productions
that address personal experiences of violence. These theater pieces,
as with 2002's "Boxing With Ghosts: Tales of Death and Resurrection,"
allow ex-offenders and survivors to empower themselves and help to
heal each other through telling their own stories, with the audience
as witness. Soapstone Theater productions are presented both to paying
audiences (with a portion of the proceeds donated to support violence
prevention) and at no charge to youth at schools, community centers,
and custodial facilities.
VIDEO LINKS: Community Renewal Dialogues began in RSVP in 1999, using
video-conferencing technology to link incarcerated men with families,
victims, and other community members. These dialogues help to
reintegrate offenders with the communities they have harmed, while
supporting community members in expressing their own experience of
violence. The links are utilized for crime prevention dialogues,
including positive exchanges between offenders and at-risk youth;
domestic violence prevention and family dialogues; employment
interviews; and community meetings.
YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION: Staff of RSVP provide empowerment groups,
peer education, mentorship training, and other activities at George
Washington High School, Youth Guidance Center, and YWCA for boys and
girls who are impacted by the criminal justice system and/or at risk
of violence. For example, a mural project by high school students
depicting their experiences with violence was completed in 2000 and
was displayed at the Mission Cultural Center as part of an RSVP
community event.
PUBLIC ARTS: Many of RSVP's community restoration projects culminate
with a public arts component, sharing the work of RSVP participants
with the community to encourage dialogue around and create
understanding of the issues of violence.
- Billboards: With collaborator Community Works, RSVP has developed
numerous large-scale poster/billboard awareness campaigns. One series
of posters with the theme "Violence is Learned. It Can Be Unlearned"
appeared on San Francisco buses (including those used by SFSD) and
billboards. Another poster campaign, in collaboration with Blue Shield
of California, presented images of youth in an effort to promote early
intervention and prevention for youth.
- Exhibitions: Art workshops provide survivors and ex-offenders with
the space, environment, and visual tools to access and share their
experiences, which become part of powerful public art exhibitions. The
artists use words and other visual representations to tell their own
stories and to envision a reconciliation and healing process, with
their communities as well as with themselves. One recent exhibition,
"Mission: Possible" (2001), included artworks by a victim of an
anti-gay assault, a former skinhead, a mother whose son was murdered,
and a former drug addict and prostitute, all of whom benefited from
the catharsis of the experience.
TRAINING: By speaking out against violence as advocates and mentors,
ex-offenders and survivors work to carry out violence prevention
training at schools, community centers, and conferences. Using
restorative justice principles, RSVP staff also engage in reciprocal
trainings and outreach with community-based organizations, i.e., drug
treatment programs, domestic violence programs, and neighborhood
service providers. Offenders and survivors perform outreach in Bay
Area schools and community centers to raise awareness about the
consequences of risky behavior and provide a channel for early
intervention against incarceration and violence.
