My first three days at CRJI were a whirlwind. I was in the Central Office (ironically located just outside of the city) so I got a nice operational overview of the organization and how various projects and players come together. Everyone was very friendly and interesting and enthusiastic and supportive, it was great. I went to several staff meetings and had some one-on-one training in conflict management, restorative justice and mediation from Harry (CRJI director). I also read reports and evaluations by people or agencies outside of CRJI on a few of CRJI’s projects.
These introductory days were invaluable. It was all very engaging and really helpful. I feel very welcomed into this close-knit but wide-reaching organization and I am much more prepared than I was a week ago to move forward to placements in community offices and with some of the practitioners I met. I was able to watch office coordinators interact, plan, and exchange ideas about topics ranging from twitter and the layout of the CRJI website to what CRJI’s relationship with the Department of Justice and police might look like in five years.
LIVING LIFE IN THE BELFAST LANE 