2015 Association for Women in Psychology Conference

Dramatic episodes of violence, such as the school shootings at Sandy Hook elementary, and the shootings of 17 year-old Trayvon Martin and 17 year-old Jordan Davis in 2012 instigate an immediate burst of interest in restorative justice and violence prevention that disappears as quickly as it appeared. A stable community network dedicated to ending interpersonal violence is needed across the USA. This symposium consists of three presentations describing different forms of community building to engender grass roots support for restorative justice. Each effort integrates violence education so that potential community members understand the reality of violence and the need to become an advocate for change in support of victims. The first presentation covers building grassroots support for victims of violence through a four day, campus and community conference. Building a network amongst the interdisciplinary attendees was an overt goal of the conference. The second presentation covers community building through transformational curricula that integrate violence education and advocacy into the classroom experience. The final presentation covers how the “We Can Prevent Violence” Facebook group was used to build an on-line, violence prevention community. Each of these presentations will include the goals of the initiative, the types of communities that were developed, the successes and failures that were experienced, and any gender effects that were noted. Key to restorative justice is building many different types of communities nationwide that have no tolerance for acts of violence and who strongly believe in the power of nonviolence to transform communities into safe places (Veith, 2014). Community wellness could be substantially improved if restorative justice was available to support victim’s healing and if interpersonal violence was eradicated to prevent further victimization (Brown et. al 2009; Felitti, 2002; WHO 2006).

This symposium explores applications and implications of restorative justice in various contexts, including research, therapy and performance. Presenters explore interventions that address social change, privilege and oppression, feminist consciousness and responsibility. These presentations contribute an innovative and multicultural approach to notions of restoration, healing, and obligation. Integrating analyses of race, class, gender, and sexuality, panelists contextualize their respective interventions within institutional and political structures. Presenters will tackle central thematic questions including: What is restorative justice? What is intended to be “restored”? What does it mean to be concerned about restorative justice in areas of research, psychotherapy, culturally sensitive activism and health? How do we situate ourselves as knowledge producers in discourses of restorative justice? One presenter examines cycles of violence against women and ways in which performance can disrupt systems of domination. Describing an intervention in Argentina, the presenter explores how rurality, tribal culture, the Catholic church, and militarism intersect in the lives and work of a group of feminist activists. A co-authored presentation explores how reflexivity and reflexive practice might be conceived as political action, and how it shapes each step of the academic research process. Presenters critically examine reflexivity in the context of producing scholarship, teaching, and higher education administration. Another presenter asks: How is therapy a tool of restorative justice? Another examines poetry as a tool for social change. Finally, one presentation addresses evidence from repeated population-based samples of high school students to show that, contrary to common opinion, sexual minority adolescent girls actually have a higher incidence than their completely heterosexual counterparts of both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Some of the potential factors and influences that may lead to these outcomes will be discussed, alongside information on recent efforts in public schools to foster the sexual health of sexual minority girls.

Over the last 20 years the United States has witnessed the arrival of 8.5 million Latino immigrants (PEW Hispanic Center, 2013). College education can be a platform for leadership and social change. However, in 2012 only 14.5% of U.S. Latinos ages 25 and older had earned a college degree. In this symposium, we focus on particularly vulnerable groups within the Latino community: women, and undocumented youth. The presentations describe the experience of people who reach out beyond the constriction of laws, customs, roles and risks, toward a better future. In two qualitative studies, these minorities –within-a- minority are given voice, and their subjective experience is made visible, so that advocates, clinicians and scholars can work effectively in their behalf. The first interview study compares Latinas who hold a college degree with those who never attended college. Strengths include self-efficacy, a collectivist approach, and resistamce to stereotype threat and the pressure of traditional gender roles. The researcher’s own experiences inform the study. The second interview study shows how immigration policy affects the daily functioning and mental health of undocumented Latino/as. Undocumented students are vulnerable to anti-immigration views, institutional restrictions on legal employment both during and after college, marginalization, discrimination, acculturation stress, fear of deportation and financial struggles. These stressors cumulatively contribute to anxiety, depression, and alienation Findings provide a knowledge base for college counselors and others who seek to address these mental health concerns and to provide comprehensive and knowledgeable service. In the discussion, we use this information, together with the history of advocacy and support , to brainstorm about what teachers, family members, school counselors, and psychologists can do to further the dreams of these young people, now and in the years ahead, while they are prevented from access to the American dream. Dr,Kuba will chair.