Conversation: An Abundance of Grace
Meeting the Moment (9/22/2021) conversation, An Abundance of Grace
An Abundance of Grace: In this session, Sean Goode, CHOOSE 180, in conversation with Leonie Smith, East Point Peace Academy, to explore our how movement actions can support healing and what grace looks like in the context of restorative justice work and healing from the trauma of systemic racism. This session will be facilitated by Jackie St. Louis.
Speakers
Sean Goode (he/him), CHOOSE 180
Sean Goode is a leader driven by possibility who works through the non-profit CHOOSE 180 to decriminalize youthful behavior by elevating the transformative power of grace and through the creation of alternatives to the criminal legal system. Prior to serving the community in this capacity he served as a chaplain at Juvenile Detention, championed gang intervention efforts, created employment opportunities for youth in at-risk communities and worked in educational advocacy to implement programing that supported young people’s readiness for Kindergarten, High School and College. Sean Goode is considered a national expert on justice reform and is frequently sharing the work of CHOOSE 180 and the transformative power of restorative practices throughout the country. He has been appointed by the governor to the Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice where he serves as the vice-chair addressing statewide issues of the criminalization of adolescent behavior.
Leonie Smith (she/her), East Point Peace Academy
P. Leonie Smith is a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican heritage and is the founder of The Thoughtful Workplace, a consultancy that uses a relational and skill-building approach to coaching, training, and mediation. Her work and life are centered around sharing people-centered modalities such as Nonviolent Communication, Restorative and Transformative Justice practices, and Sociocracy to support people who are traditionally marginalized to show up in their full humanity. She is also founder and Executive Director of People of Color for Nonviolent Communication (POC4NVC), an international network for Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) who are connected to principles of nonviolence. She is also a trainer and core team member for East Point Peace Academy, a nonviolence training and consulting organization based in Oakland, California. Through the use of these and other tools, she supports groups and teams to find ways of working that reduce harm by understanding and sharing practical skills to address the impact of systemic racism and oppression. She has over 20 years of experience in senior management positions in nonprofit organizations in communications, fundraising and human resources. She is based in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
PANEL MODERATOR Jackie St. Louis (he/him), Tender Tongues Counseling
Jackie St. Louis (he/him) is the founder of Tender Tongues Counseling and principal of D-Fine Concepts Consulting. Jackie’s history in behavioral health includes working with youth in the Philadelphia Public School system, as a forensic evaluator in the Philadelphia correctional system and as a co-occurring therapist. Jackie is passionate about seeing communities thrive and has deep affiliations with marginalized groups, including people of African descent, other persons of color, immigrant, and refugees. In his private counseling practice, Jackie employs a holistic, outcomes-based approach that focuses on helping individuals attain and embrace the best versions of themselves through a process of reflection, perspective-making, reconciliation, and acceptance. Jackie’s work as a consultant exists at the intersection of racial equity, social issues, and public policy. He has designed and regularly teaches a course on racial equity as it applies to place management, urban design, public safety, and law enforcement. Jackie is a community engagement innovator who works as an ally to community in mutually beneficial efforts to elevate an amplify voices of those with lived experience in change-making initiatives.
