How does the leader work with the collective? Our founder, Dr. Abdul Malik Muhammad, connects his story of leadership within alternative schools to his vision of change with Akoben LLC. In our series, Dr. Muhammad explains that being a leader means knowing when to step back … [Read more...]
Leadership & Learning Series (Part I.)
What is a leader? Leaders are servants anchored within the collective. The relational leader is a representative of the values bestowed by the people. As Dr. Muhammad states, “When we think about transformative leaders, we’re often talking about folks who don’t need the … [Read more...]
The Conversation of Dissent in a Restorative Community
One of the most common challenges that organizations face when implementing Restorative Practices is what is perceived as resistance to the restorative approach. They ask questions such as “How do we increase staff buy-in?” and “What do we do with ‘negative’ people who are … [Read more...]
How are the Children Doing?
“In youth we learn, in age we understand.” -Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach Over the summer, I had the pleasure of attending the Advanced Training of Champions’ seminar as an intern for Akoben. In my first encounter with this work, I participated in one of the communication … [Read more...]
The Talking Piece: Strategies for Helping Our Students Honor It
Here’s the Good News You’re not crazy. Children of all ages (and adults too) sometimes have trouble honoring the talking piece. Even when they’ve agreed to its principles and deeply appreciate the permission it gives them to speak and to be listened to, they call out … [Read more...]
