WHO WE ARE

The Alliance for Unitive Justice

The Alliance for Unitive Justice (AUJ) is a Virginia non-profit headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to cultivating and sustaining communities that are connected, creative, supportive, and unitive.

We educate, support and advocate about Unitive Justice Theory and its application as a path to creating Unitive Communities in our schools, spiritual centers, businesses, politics, jails and prisons, and other places where people come together.

Vision

To institute UNITIVE JUSTICE THEORY AND PRACTICE as the foundation for creating harmony within our diversity, affirming our shared humanity and achieving our human potential.

 Mission

To organize a dedicated global network engaging UNITIVE JUSTICE THEORY AND PRACTICE in resolving human conflict, creating social harmony and realizing global peace.

History

When Sylvia Clute and Donna Chewning met in 2010, Sylvia had been a trial attorney for twenty five years and working on Unitive Justice Theory for over 20 years. Donna had long been committed to love, dignity and respect for all as an integral part of organizational design. From her work with special needs children, Donna had a heightened awareness of the negative effects of exclusion. Soon after they met, they had an the opportunity to implement a pilot Restorative Justice program in an urban school using Unitive Justice practices.

As they say, the rest is history.

The Alliance for Unitive Justice (AUJ), originally called Restorative Youth Services of Virginia, was founded by Sylvia and Donna in 2011 in order to implement this pilot Restorative Justice school program. By creating a school program using Unitive Justice Theory, they created a unique model that has the power to transform communities and produce system change. This new system strengthens community values so values guide behavior instead of rules enforcing compliance. It also fosters inclusion without exception and heals conflict by getting to the root causes using Unitive Justice Circles.