Community Building Circles

Community Building Circles create space for building relationships within groups, teams, or organizations. The Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices’s trained facilitators will lead a 1 hour Circle to help deepen connections and foster understanding among group members. A Circle Process is “a structured process for organizing effective group communication, relationship building, decision-making, and conflict resolution,” as defined by Carolyn Boyes-Watson and Kay Pranis in Heart of Hope (2010, p. 29). Community Building Circles can include elements such as ice breakers and team building activities to help build community. This session is ideal for newly formed organizations, groups with new members, and those undergoing transitions. 

Values & Expectation-Setting Circles

Values and Expectation-Setting Circles offer groups, teams, and organizations a dedicated space to intentionally set, revisit, or refine their shared values and expectations. Facilitated by trained Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices staff, Values and Expectation-Setting Circles provide participants the opportunity to collaboratively create a list of shared values and expectations. This approach creates a respectful and welcoming space where participants sit in a physical circle and use a talking piece passed from person to person, allowing everyone the opportunity to speak and be heard. This session takes 1 hour but can be up to 2 hours depending on the group's needs.  

How to Facilitate a Community Building Circle

Led by the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, the How to Facilitate a Community Building Circle training introduces participants to the fundamentals of Circle Processes. A Circle Process creates a respectful and welcoming space where participants sit in a physical circle and use a talking piece passed from person to person, allowing everyone the opportunity to speak and be heard. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of Circle Processes, learn about the elements of a Community Building Circle, and engage in hands-on learning through roleplay and examples relevant to their work. This session requires a minimum of 2 hours but can last 4 hours depending on the needs of the group. Your facilitator will work with you to determine an appropriate training length. 

Leading Beyond Your Term: How to Transition Student Organization Officers 

Strong officer transitions help student organizations maintain momentum, preserve institutional knowledge, and set new leaders up for success. This interactive 45-minute workshop will equip current and incoming student organization officers with practical strategies to ensure a smooth leadership handoff. Participants will explore key information and resources that should be updated during transitions, learn the value of maintaining a comprehensive transition document, and identify effective practices that support incoming officers as they step into their roles. Through discussion and reflection, attendees will leave with actionable tools to strengthen organizational continuity and leadership success. 

Healthy Relationships

Led by Well Dukes, this workshop discusses healthy and unhealthy dating behaviors and how to talk to someone that may be in an unhealthy relationship. Participants will learn to recognize possible warning signs of different forms of abuse and reflect on personal values they desire in their own relationships in this interactive program. This worshop can be offerred in a 30 minute session to a 1 hour session. 

Clifton Strengths for Student Organization Leaders 

In this interactive workshop, student organization leaders will discover their unique leadership style and explore how their strengths influence the teams and communities they serve. Using the CliftonStrengths Top 5 assessment, participants will gain a deeper understanding of their innate talents, learn how those strengths show up in leadership roles, and identify ways to collaborate more effectively with others.  Together, we’ll explore how individual strengths contribute to team success, strengthen communication, and help organizations reach their goals. This program is ideal for executive boards, officer teams, and other student leadership groups, but can also be adapted for an entire organization depending on the size. This workshop takes 1 hour to complete. 

DISC for Student Organization Leaders 

How do you show up on a team? Using the DISC assessment, student organization leaders will explore their unique leadership and communication style. Together, we'll explore the different DISC styles, identify how each contributes to a team's success, and learn strategies for working more effectively with people who think and communicate differently. Whether you're leading meetings, managing projects, or navigating group dynamics, you'll walk away with practical tools to strengthen your leadership and build stronger relationships within your organization. This workshop is ideal for leadership teams, executive boards and officer teams, but can also be adapted for an entire organization depending on the size. This workshop takes 1 hour to complete.  

Mission Alignment

Every student organization has a purpose—but it's easy for events, traditions, and priorities to drift away from that mission over time. In this interactive workshop, members and leaders will evaluate how well their programs and activities align with their organization's mission and vision. Together, we'll identify opportunities to better connect your efforts to your purpose and make more intentional decisions about future events and initiatives. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of their organization's identity, a stronger sense of direction, and practical tools for continued evaluation. This session is perfect for organizations looking to reevaluate, refocus, and grow their organization. Ideal for executive boards, officer teams, and student organizations of any size. This workshop can be customized to fit your group's needs and ranges from 45 to 90 minutes in length. 

Introduction to Restorative Practices

Led by the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, this 30 minute session provides a brief overview of Restorative Practices and how they are used at JMU. This session can be in person or virtual. It is ideal for students who want to learn more about restorative practices at JMU. 

Foundations of Restorative Practices 

Led by the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, the Foundations of Restorative Practices training offers participants a deeper exploration of Restorative Practices beyond what is covered in the Introduction to Restorative Practices session. Designed for those looking to integrate restorative principles more fully into their work, this interactive training provides practical tools and resources to apply a restorative lens within your organization, group, club, or workplace.  This session can be adapted to be 1 or 2 hours in length. This session is ideal for leaders looking to build a more empathetic and community-centered approach to team building and conflict resolution.   

Understanding Conflict Styles and Approaches

Led by the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, this training invites participants to explore different conflict styles and approaches to conflict resolution. Through interactive activities and guided reflection, participants will gain insight into different conflict styles, approaches to navigating challenging conversations, and the difference between intention and impact. This session is 1 hour and is ideal for groups wanting to learn approaches for navigating conflict. 

Party Smart

Led by Well Dukes, learn the basics about alcohol and bystander intervention through an interactive program designed to help you make the best decisions for you. The length of this presentation can be adapted based on the needs of your organization. 

Digital Thriving 

Led by Well Dukes, discover the connection between social media and mental wellness and learn how to create an online environment where you can thrive. The length of this presentation can ba adapted based on the needs of your organization. 

Sex Jeopardy

Led by Well Dukes, test your knowledge at this educational and interactive Jeopardy style game on sexual health. Topics include STIs, anatomy, contraception and more! The length of this presentation can ba adapted based on the needs of your organization. 

Alcohol and Other Drugs Jeopardy 

Led by Well Dukes, test your knowledge as it applies to alcohol and other drugs through an interactive game of Jeopardy. The length of this presentation can ba adapted based on the needs of your organization.