Restorative Quaker Design

My name is Rashid Darden and I seem to have created Restorative Quaker Design.

Restorative Quaker Design is an anti-racist method of problem solving within the Religious Society of Friends. It provides a framework by which all voices may be heard, and all potential solutions may be considered. It requires trust in one another in the community and in the process. It allows for pre-determined strategies to confront and work through conflict rather than avoiding it. Restorative Quaker Design begins and ends with worship, trusts the voice of God, and believes that God provides evidence and verification along the way.

RQD is a blend of three established traditions/methodologies: Restorative Practices, Quaker Decision-Making, and Design Thinking. I was introduced to all three methodologies when I was in my 30s. (I am 43 as of this writing.)

I was first introduced to Quaker Decision-Making when I began studying, and later joining, the Religious Society of Friends. Design Thinking came next, when I became a teacher at several schools which had received funding for educational innovation, which included training in Design Thinking. One of those schools was also devoted to Restorative Practices. RP is inclusive of Restorative Justice, but there are other practices besides RJ in RP.

I work in one Quaker space, volunteer in several more, and have been a finalist for a General Secretary position at a yearly meeting. I have seen Quaker organizations struggle with large, complicated problems–like all faith communities do. But I’ve felt like Quakers have a specific smugness about the way in which they do business which needs to be dismantled. Contrary to popular belief (or even unpopular belief), Quakers do not make decisions based on consensus. It feels like consensus, but it’s different. Being in unity on a decision is supposed to be a matter of the spirit, not of intellect or negotiation.

But what happens when the spirit-led decision is wrong? Well, to me, this one Quaker in a solo ministry, I don’t happen to think a spirit-led decision can be wrong. And if a decision was indeed wrong, then it wasn’t really spirit-led. It was people-led. Pride-led. Resentment-led. And so on.

I could say more, but the point of this short (now long) page is to be a starting point for people I meet on this ministry and to curate resources for folks looking to begin a Restorative Quaker Design Process in their own meetings.

Please note, very importantly: You cannot embark on solving a large, complicated problem alone, unless you already have residing in your body an anti-racism expert, a restorative practices facilitator, a design thinking expert, and a few seasoned Friends. Even I can only do two of those things–three on a good day. (And I am, indeed, available for the work.)

Before we blend each methodology together, let’s understand them by themselves.

Restorative practices are a decades-old social science, based in part in indigenous practices, that studies the improvement and repair of relationships between people and groups in communities.  Restorative practices (including, but not limited to, restorative justice) proactively build communities that are socially and emotionally healthy; build people and groups with increased social capital; decreases crime and behavior typically deemed problematic; and of course, repairs harm and restores relationships between people after harm.

Quaker decision-making (sometimes known as Quaker business method) is a form of group decision-making and discernment used by members of the Religious Society of Friends and typically carried out in the Meeting for Business (Also known as the Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business).   Quaker decision-making can be used for routine business decisions or complex spiritual issues.  Minutes are drafted, shared, and archived to record the decisions made in unity.

Design thinking is a process for problem-solving.  It utilizes a process of understanding a problem, brainstorming and choosing possible solutions, testing and refining those solutions, and implementing the solutions. Although design thinking can be implemented in a number of ways, the American Marketing Association (and other organizations), acknowledge the five phases of design thinking to be empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test.

Where does anti-racist practice come into play?

Many practices can be anti-racist if the practicers are committed to anti-racism. Conversely, any practice carries the threat of racism if the community does not engage in anti-racist practices as a matter of habit, including ongoing education, privilege checks, safe spaces for people of color, and challenging spaces for white Friends confronting racism.

I have injected into Restorative Quaker Design process Step #2, which requires a pause for anti-racist training that helps the community identify itself and who is not in the room.

I also believe that Restorative Practices, when used with fidelity, are the least problematic practices that can be injected into a problem solving process.

There are ten steps to a Restorative Quaker Design process.*

  1. Worship
  2. Self-Identification
  3. Problem Identification
  4. Brainstorming
  5. Prototyping
  6. Testing
  7. Refinement
  8. Rollout
  9. Evaluation
  10. Worship

*Details about each step are found on the handout that led you to this page.

You will see in these steps that the design thinking phases have been modified in some places and expanded in others. “Empathize” is expanded into Worship and Self-Identification. “Define” remains largely unchanged as Problem Identification. “Ideate” uses the simpler term Brainstorming, and “Prototype” remains the same. “Testing” also remains the same, but expands to include Refinement in RQD.

I have added a restorative practice called “Circles” to the process, used notably in Problem Identification and Refinement–but Circles can be used throughout the process as the community becomes comfortable with it.

And because this is a Quaker process, it opens and closes with Worship.

Perhaps the most important thing I want people to take from this process is that God gives us more tools than just Quaker Process. We can be led by God to use a multitude of tools available to us to solve our problems, if we are committed to following a process with patience and perseverance.

Restorative Quaker Design is brand new as of 2023. I am looking forward to implementing an RQD process in a community that feels led to try it. I am certain this page will be updated as I learn more myself. Below are resources that I suggest you check out if you are still curious about anything mentioned above. (If you purchase something below from an Amazon link, I will receive a few cents from the sale.)

Anti-Racist Resources

Quaker Practice Resources

Restorative Practices Resources

Design Thinking Resources

Evaluation Resources

  • Ubuntu Research and Evaluation

May 1, 2023: Updates after Quaker Institute