Melissa Merin 

educator | facilitator| restorative justice practitioner

Articles, Talks, Workshops and more!

Building Bridges of Hope: Supporting Children and Youth with High Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs
An interactive webinar facilitated by myself and other colleagues working to support kids with needs that the traditional education and mental health care has not planned for.
Learning From and With Students, Caregivers, Advocates and Systems Leaders
Part One of a panel where I join other practitioners, activists and advocates in a discussion navigating the impact of racial violence on student mental health. Hosted by MHTTC and the University of Nebraska.
Reclaiming Wholeness Thru Transformative Justice – This was Part 2 of the Education and Wellness Dialogue Series that I had the privilege of joining with the incomparable Tanya Suzuki. The talk was facilitated by the brilliant Dr. Steph Cariaga as part of A People’s Education Conference.
Episode 81 of Hella Black Podcast: A History of Restorative Justice + Carcerality I return to Hella Black Podcast to talk with Delency Parham and Abbas Muntaqim about the roots of RJ/TJ and why it’s important to remember what community really means.
Episode 77 of Hella Black Podcast featuring me and Anthony Williams where we discuss the problems and radical potential of restorative justice work in left politics, and in our personal relationships.
Teaching Resistance (ed. 2019 by John Mink for PM Press) is an anthology of essays, interviews and musings from “Radicals, Revolutionaries, and Cultural Subversives in the Classroom.” I was honored to contribute an essay to this collection. Kadijah Means (radical non-violent communication strategist) also contributed to this collection; then, the two of us went on IG live to talk about some thangs.
Part 1 and Part 2
For Woke Educators Working With Our Futures is an essay I wrote examining trauma-centered education, and the corrosive notion that “boys will be boys”. I also take a look at a controversial and popular Hip-Hop folk hero, and examine how we can do better in the context of restorative justice.
A Memo on Accountability is a brief outline of thoughts about what accountability can mean in the contexts of restorative and transformative justice.
More to come!