The St. Joseph’s Orphanage Restorative Inquiry (SJORI), an initiative of the Burlington Community Justice Center, has completed its work. SJORI operated from May of 2019 to February of 2022 with funding from the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. SJORI’s mission was to understand and document the events of the orphanage through the voices, experiences, and stories of those most impacted (former residents); and then facilitate inclusive processes of accountability, amends-making, learning, and change. 

 

As the formal Inquiry approached completion, members of the Voices of St. Joseph’s Orphanage group (Voices)­–former residents of the Orphanage–made the decision to continue working on their initiatives, and to facilitate their own process. The mission of Voices is to ensure the safety of children, both now and in the future, and hold accountable those who abuse them. 

 

In addition to continuing to work on their consensus-approved PROJECTS, the group currently meets online every other week to connect, support each other, and discuss new potential initiatives. If you would like to connect with the group, you can send a message HERE.

 

Voices is supported by an Advisory Team, which meets monthly and is comprised of community-based stakeholders and group representatives. The Advisory Team provides support and consultation but is not a decision-making body. All decision-making authority resides with the members of the Voices.

 

The Final Report of the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Restorative Inquiry is now available to the public and can be found HERE.  If you would like to connect with Marc Wennberg, the lead facilitator of the Restorative Inquiry, you can do so here EMAIL.