Restorative Quaker Design: Outlines for the Future

Restorative Quaker Design is an anti-racist method of problem-solving using elements of restorative practices, Quaker process, and design thinking. This workshop will give Friends the tools necessary to embark on meaningful change in their Quaker communities. Quaker communities face all sorts of large problems, whether it is how to address racism or reparations, or whether…

Workshop Description

Restorative Quaker Design is an anti-racist method of problem-solving using elements of restorative practices, Quaker process, and design thinking. This workshop will give Friends the tools necessary to embark on meaningful change in their Quaker communities.

Quaker communities face all sorts of large problems, whether it is how to address racism or reparations, or whether it is time to purchase or sell a meeting facility. Many meetings are also concerned about the future and whether there will be a Quaker faith for the future. Friends facing major community concerns may be interested in learning how to face those concerns as a community in unity.

Enter Restorative Quaker Design, a way to outline the future of Quaker communities so that their stories can continue to be told. Restorative Quaker Design is an anti-racist method of problem solving within the Religious Society of Friends. It provides a framework by which all voices may be heard, and all potential solutions may be considered. It requires trust in one another in the community and in the process. It allows for pre-determined strategies to confront and work through conflict rather than avoiding it. Restorative Quaker Design begins and ends with worship, trusts the voice of God, and believes that God provides evidence and verification along the way.

Restorative Quaker Design is useful for solving large and complicated problems in a community. Over five days, Friends will be introduced to the three foundational traditions of RQD, which are Restorative Practices, Quaker Process, and Design Thinking. Further, using the ten steps of a Restorative Quaker Design process, Friends will begin the process of solving a large problem in Quaker life.

The methodologies for this workshop will include:

• Restorative Circles
• Centering Worship
• Worship sharing
• Lecture
• Experiential learning

Friends are encouraged to take notes, either through bringing their own paper and writing utensils, or on their own laptop or tablet. In advance of this workshop, Friends should visit resources located at https://rashidipedia.com/rqd/.

This workshop facilitator requires the use of N95, KN95, or KN94, masks, properly worn over the nose and mouth, for the entirety of the workshop.

Leader Experience

 Rashid Darden is an award-winning, best-selling novelist of the urban LGBT experience, a seasoned leader of Black fraternal movements and nonprofit organizations, and a professional educator in alternative schools. He is local to the District of Columbia and Conway, North Carolina. He has led numerous workshops in the Quaker world, on topics such as mutual aid, writing accessibility, and anti-Blackness. He led the 2022 Gathering Workshop “Power and Persistence: Friends of Color Celebrate.”