Democracy 4 All: A restorative justice Action Research and Democratic Innovation Project

Carmen Costa · Theo Gavrielides

May 2025 · Restorative Justice Series Book 62 · RJ4All Publications

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About this ebook

This e-book presents the results of “The Democracy 4 All Project” carried out between 1/1/2025 and 31/3/2025. It was commissioned from the UK Electoral Commission. The project was drawn from RJ4All’s belief and evidence that restorative justice can empower the individual and communities to meaningfully share power and thus engage in civic life more equally. The key target groups that we engaged were: underrepresented youth (up to age 26), individuals with a BAME background, older people (ages 55+), those with mental health challenges, and those with low digital skills. In the end, the project engaged 132 individuals through in-person activities and 11,442 individuals online. The leading implication of this research is that it provides some strong, though interim, evidence that statutory bodies and the Electoral Commission have much to gain in achieving their democratic mandate from creating long-term partnerships with voluntary and community-based organisations. This report gives evidence that voluntary and statutory agencies can affect greater democratic participation among underrepresented groups by curating more restorative justice based, community-led discussion spaces which effectively share power, build back trust, and bring to the forefront relevant concerns and solutions from and for these groups.

“We are thrilled to launch this timely ebook in partnership with the Electoral Commission. At a time when democracy is being threatened at the international level and its value questioned especially by under-represented groups, we present evidence that restorative justice can act as the method and a philosophy for stronger communities. Democracy requires power sharing, and this ebook presents some evidence that when engaging in community-led, dialogue-based methods that are founded upon the restorative justice principles no one is left behind. Terms such as “under-represented groups” and “marginalised” perpetuate a defeatist approach to engagement. Empowerment through bottom-up methods such as youth-led campaigns and citizen-led circles is an alternative that this report suggests has much potential. I am grateful to the team at RJ4All and the young volunteers at FRED for all their hard work, as well as the Electoral Commission for entrusting us with this innovative project”.

Prof. Theo Gavrielides, PhD (Founder and Director of the RJ4All International Institute.

To cite this ebook: Costa, C. (2025). Democracy 4 All A restorative justice Action Research and Democratic Innovation Project. London: RJ4All Publications, ISBN: 978-1-80463-067-9

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