NewRoot Open PD: Circle Training

All sessions will take place in-person at the NewRoot office, located at 910 W Van Buren St. Suite 200 in Chicago, IL from 9:15 AM - 3:30 PM with a 1-hour break for lunch. As a collaborative and experiential training, attendance at all four sessions is expected.

Participants in this session are eligible to earn CPDUs.

Session Description:

This comprehensive circle training combines materials and approaches from our other trainings, along with the wisdom and experience of our staff for an experience designed to prepare participants to design and lead a wide variety of circles and community-building activities. This 4-day collaborative learning experience takes new circle keepers through the foundations of Restorative Justice, the history & cultural significance of circles, facilitation of circles for the purpose of community building and navigating conflict & harm, and role-play scenarios designed to help build their ability to create & lead circles and respond to potential challenges while doing so. There is no prerequisite for this training, but participants must be present for all 4 days to receive their certificate of completion.

Registration will remain open until 7/22/26 at 11:59 PM. Space is limited, so please register soon! If you have questions, please email [email protected].

A note on Circle Training cost: In an effort to ensure that NewRoot's trainings remain accessible to as many members of our community as possible, as of Summer 2026, we are instituting a new, sliding scale ticket system.

• If you are interested in attending NewRoot's Circle Training but find the sliding scale ticket cost inaccessible, please complete a scholarship application by clicking this link.
• For those who wish to attend but find the true cost ticket price inaccessible, sliding scale tickets are available at $250.
• For those who have the means, full cost tickets are referred to as true cost tickets and priced at $500.
• For those who wish to attend the training and support the nonprofit staff providing this program, solidarity tickets are available at $1,000.

As parking can be tricky, we advise planning ahead with SpotHero or using public transportation.