Jon Kidde is an independent consultant who has studied and applied restorative justice theory for 20 years. He has played a critical role in the design, application, and enhancement of RJ within diverse settings. Jon founded Green Omega, L3C[1] in 2008 as a more official vehicle for his work.
He has provided recent consultation and assistance to: Vermont Office of the Attorney General, Reclaiming Futures, VT Center for Crime Victim Services, VT Department for Children & Families, VT Association of Court Diversion Programs, Global Learning Partners, PH International, regional schools, and other organizations. He is Project Director of Reclaiming Futures – Chittenden County, which works to strengthen collaboration and ensure youth justice policies and practices are driven by youth and family needs.
Between 1999 and 2004, Jon developed programs in Wyoming that influenced not just the people who became intertwined by crime, but also regional youth justice policies. This led to a desire for formal training to plan, implement, and evaluate social policies and programs. He enrolled in University of California – Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare and in 2005 launched his consultancy career. A graduate internship created an opportunity to contract with the Judicial Council of California where he assisted with implementation of restorative justice in pilot counties, drafted publications, and conducted focus groups with youth on probation, parents, victims, and community members—part of the first major assessment of California’s delinquency courts. Jon was also engaged in grassroots efforts; he worked with Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) to facilitate strategic planning and implementation. RJOY—founded by Fania Davis, Nancy Nadel and Aeeshah Clottey—has successfully seeded RJ practices in schools, youth justice, and in communities.
Jon moved to Vermont in 2008 and was introduced to Dialogue Education (DE) while leading an enhancement initiative with Vermont’s Court Diversion programs. An intentional application of DE principle continually enhances his work and effectively honors and engages the wisdom of those he works with. He became a Certified DE Teacher in 2014.
MSW – MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING, School of Social Welfare, University of California – Berkeley
BA – SOCIOLOGY, The Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
[1] L3C’s are Limited Liability Companies that are oriented toward a social, educational, or charitable purpose—similar to non-profit organizations