Isobel Davies moved to Rochester from the UK in 2009. She is passionate about restorative practices and how they can be used to empower individuals and communities. Isobel helped to bring the first Restorative Transition Circle program to the mainland (developed by Lorenn Walker in Hawaii) and for three years coordinated the process in which individuals returning from incarceration take the first step to restoring relationships with their loved ones. She has also served as coordinator for the Courts/Community Conferencing Committee for Partners in Restorative Initiatives (Rochester) and as a community mediator for Face to Face Mediation (York, UK). She holds a first class degree in Music and an MA in Conflict, Governance and Development, both from the University of York and works as a church musician and mum.

Isobel says:

I feel so fortunate to have landed in a city that is also home to the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. My generation grew up with almost unlimited access to knowledge about how our systems do not work equally for everyone and how our lifestyles are causing irreparable damage to our habitat, but with very limited access to knowledge about how to be empowered to make change and how to cope with the weight of responsibility. Through the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence I have found a community of caring friends holding similar values and discovered practical ways that even people with limited energy and resources can contribute to changing our systems to be more equitable and sustainable.