Photo Credit: Beacon Radio

Register Now for "Riots and Restorative Justice"

The role of restorative justice following riots will be the focus of the May 8 Bruce and Lis Welch Community Dialogue, 7-9pm at SFU Woodwards. Honored guest Dr. Theo Gavrielides will provide insights into how restorative justice was proposed and implemented after Britain's August 2011 riots, where 15,000 rioters caused an estimated £500 million in damages. Vancouver's Stanley Cup riot has many parallels to the British experience, including a desire to provide victims with a better sense of reparation and closure, as well as an interest in reducing the risk of re-offense. Local stakeholders are now actively discussing implementing Restorative Justice in response to the Stanley Cup riot and more broadly throughout our justice system, making Gavrielides' visit to Vancouver particularly timely and compelling. Pre-registration is required for this free lecture.

CityStudio Showcases Greenest City Projects

CityStudio students showcased projects to help Vancouver become the greenest city in the world at the March 31 "Under One Roof" event, reaching an audience of more than 300 visitors, including Mayor Gregor Robertson. Student presentations included ideas to help Vancouver reach its goal of planting 150,000 new trees, and how to better utilize underused spaces owned by the city. CityStudio was co-founded by SFU Dialogue faculty member Janet Moore and Duane Elverum (Emily Carr) as a groundbreaking collaboration between the City of Vancouver and six post-secondary institutions. In its first two semesters, over 200 students have spent more than 20,000 hours on projects related to Vancouver's Greenest City 2020 Goals.

Celebrating a Citywide Conversation on Compassion

Karen Armstrong hosted a citywide conversation on compassion with the SFU Centre for Dialogue, March 19-30. SFU presented Ms. Armstrong with its prestigious Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue during the visit and conducted more than 5,500 person hours of community programming. Highlights included hosting the launch of the Greater Vancouver Compassion Network and webcasting Karen Armstrong's inaugural "State of the Charter for Compassion Address" to an international audience in partnership with the TED Prize and Charter for Compassion. Interested parties can read about the visit in our Vancouver Sun op-ed and front-page article, view excerpts from the public lecture, and listen to Ms. Armstrong's podcast from CBC Radio's North by Northwest.

Janet Moore Finalist for YWCA Award

We are thrilled to announce that Centre for Dialogue faculty member Janet Moore has been shortlisted for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards in the category of environmental sustainability. One of Canada's most prestigious awards for women, the Women of Distinction Awards honours women whose outstanding achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community. In her biography, Janet is cited as "a visionary teacher who uses experiential learning and dialogue to educate students and other citizens on solutions for community sustainability." Early bird tickets are available until May 3 for the May 24 fundraiser and award ceremony.

Launch Announcement: The Governance Project Online

David Fushtey, Fellow in Governance at the Centre for Dialogue, has launched The Governance Project, a new series on Principled Governance drawing on David's work in international enterprises and governance law. Check out the new website to read regular blog posts and to add your thoughts to matters of international social finance, metropolitan civility, and moving beyond trust to a global village based on respect.

Fellow Profile: Paul Meyer

Paul Meyer is a a Fellow in International Security at the Centre for Dialogue and a Senior Fellow at The Simons Foundation. Paul's work draws on 35 years of diplomatic experience in Canada's foreign service, and includes a recent assessment of the Global Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul (published by the Asia-Pacific Foundation), and a March presentation in Geneva on "The Diplomatic Context for Outer Space Security" at a conference organized by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research. As an Adjunct Professor with SFU's International Studies MA program, Paul taught a course this year on multilateral diplomacy and advised SFU's delegation for the World Model UN Assembly.