The RJ Project

Enactus Wilfrid Laurier University

One in three adolescent students reported being bullied. Traditional exclusionary discipline policies like suspensions and expulsions are still considered the norm but focus on the effects instead of the root causes of the behaviour.

Disciplining methods like restorative justice see great results, as they focus on building healthy relationships and repairing damaged ones in a way that helps students develop social and emotional skills. However, these methods ultimately never see widespread use as they’re costly, require a lot of training, and are ultimately still reactive measures.

The RJ Project takes the social and emotional lessons gained from the restorative justice process and puts them in the hands of the students before the problems occur. This ed-tech solution both empowers and gives agency to students by providing them with the opportunity to deal with situations and resolve conflicts before they escalate.

By gamifying the learning process, The RJ Project offers playful exploration as a preparation for real-world situations. By setting the learning on a video game platform, the RJ Project increases student engagement, allows them to learn at their own pace, provides them with meaningful feedback, and allows for flexibility so students can play during free time, or teachers can build it into lesson plans.