This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Restorative Justice works best when each person's story can be heard and understood. But what if those stories are told in different languages? LCJP's mission is to give everyone impacted by a crime the chance to tell their stories - those who were harmed by the crime, those who committed the crime, plus family members, police officers and even the community as a whole.
Restorative Justice works best when each voice can be heard and understood.
https://youtu.be/6xitFgkjVg8
“Gracias por tomar el tiempo a nuestros hijos a darles un rumbo diferente a la vida.” (Padre de un cliente de LCJP)
“Thank you for taking the time to give our children a different course in life.” (Parent of an LCJP Client)
Without accurate and complete communication between the parties, the Restorative Justice process can falter or even fail. That’s why LCJP urgently needs skilled interpreters. 30% of the Longmont population is Latino, so there is a daily need for LCJP to provide support to clients and their families in Spanish. The ability to clearly communicate the facts as well as the emotional nuance of a situation is essential to our community’s healing process.
Please help us deliver Restorative Justice in our multi-lingual community.
Skilled interpreters face significant challenges — they need to accurately and reliably translate between people who often have very different life experiences, economic means, and cultural backgrounds.
Volunteers who speak Spanish and English fluently have been interpreting for restorative justice for many years at LCJP. They are not professional interpreters, yet a single volunteer may interpret for 3 hours straight, between 10 or more people. It is exhausting work, and misunderstandings and fatigue can undermine the process as a whole.
Can We Count on Your Help?
LCJP is seeking to improve our restorative justice experience through accurate bilingual 
interpretation. Professional interpreters are in high demand and we need their help to reach our goals. The stipend we offer helps LCJP engage these in-demand professionals in our work to serve the community and increase cultural inclusivity in Longmont. Additionally, we hope to purchase interpretation equipment that will make our bilingual processes even more successful. Each person is able to participate in the language they know best.
Please donate what you can – $10, $25 or even more will help us partner with highly trained interpreters.
LCJP couldn’t provide its services without the support of loyal donors and community members like you. Thank you so much for making Restorative Justice possible!
About the Live & Give Program:
Help shape Longmont’s future in a single day.
On September 26th, Live & Give Longmont brings our community together for 24 hours of generosity. With everyone in the community giving whatever they can, we hope to raise start up funds for a few projects in our community. It’s about working together to accentuate the place we love—so it will continue to thrive today and for generations to come.
