In this episode we speak with Strong Oak Lefebvre, co-founder and executive director of the Visioning B.E.A.R. Circle Intertribal Coalition INC. Strong Oak co-authored the Walking in Balance with All Our Relations teaching curriculum, a violence prevention approach that is based on transformative/restorative circle practices and traditional values of indigenous people prior to colonization.

They speak with us about the years leading up to starting their own organization, including what catalyzed their move away from mainstream gender-based violence work in order to embrace restorative and transformative justice practices. Strong Oak asks us to be mindful of the ways in which RJ and TJ are often co-opted by the state.

This project is supported by Grant No 2020-TA-AX-K022 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this program are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.