Summary

The RJNord Expert Seminar took place on Åland, May 12–14, 2025, bringing together around 40 in-person participants and an additional ten online attendees from across the Nordic and European countries. The event gathered practitioners, researchers, civil servants, and policymakers with a shared goal: To deepen collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of restorative justice (RJ).

The seminar aimed to ignite a stronger movement and sense of community among RJ practitioners, researchers, policy makers and others active in this field in the Nordic region. A steering group – comprising representatives from the Ministry of Justice (Finland), National Council for Crime Prevention (Finland), the Finnish institute for Health and Welfare (Finland), Åbo Akademi University (Finland), the National Mediation Service (Norway), and the Association for Restorative Justice and Practice (Denmark), coordinated by the Åland Islands Peace Institute (Finland) – had worked for over a year to lay the groundwork for the event.

The seminar format emphasized connection and community-building, with participants staying together at the Lemböte camp facility, engaging in informal discussions around the campfire, and enjoying nature and sauna sessions, as well as others participating digitally.

Day 1 – Opening and Keynotes:
The seminar opened with a video greeting from Dr. Aarne Kinnunen (Ministry of Justice Finland), followed by keynote presentations. Dr. Ian Marder (Maynooth University, Ireland) discussed the European legal framework and its implications for the Nordic region. Professor Emeritus Ivo Aertsen (KU Leuven, Belgium) presented insights from the forthcoming European volume of The International Encyclopaedia of Restorative Justice, highlighting the Nordic results.

Day 2 – Workshops and Dialogue:
The second day focused on societal trends such as polarization and increasing crime, with expert commentary from Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark. Participants then joined workshops on:

Professor Aertsen also gave an impromptu talk on the history of the European Forum for Restorative Justice, emphasizing the potential of this Nordic initiative as a model for regional collaboration.

Day 3 – Plenary and Future Planning:
The final day featured a research presentation by PhD candidate Aino Jauhianen (University of Helsinki) and a plenary session to summarize outcomes and plan next steps. The “Åland Declaration” was initiated, intended to serve as a guiding document for future efforts.

Public Lunch Seminar:
The seminar concluded with a public lunch event titled “Conflict Resolution as a Life Skill – How to Develop Child-Friendly Justice?”, co-hosted with Save the Children Åland. Real-life conflict scenarios, developed by a youth panel, were analysed by experts on restorative practices within schools and municipalities from Norway and Sweden.

There is considerable variation in how RJ is structured across the Nordic countries, ranging from state-funded mediation systems to local grassroots initiatives. During the seminar, participants shared successful models, particularly in the areas of youth mediation and conflict resolution in schools. A recurring theme was the need for greater coordination, the establishment of shared standards, and the promotion of cross-Nordic research. A Nordic RJ network is currently in development, and for Sweden – where national coordination is still lacking – a foundational meeting was held during the seminar to begin addressing this gap.

The seminar was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers with additional support from the Finnish Section of the Nordic Federation of Public Administration (NAF). It was led by the Åland Islands Peace Institute in collaboration with Nordic partner organizations. The next network meeting is tentatively planned in Denmark in 2027.