Saying goodbye to Kate Aldous
This is a blog by our Deputy CEO, Kate Aldous.
After over four years as a Trustee and then as a staff member, I am moving on from Why me?. I have loved being part of the Restorative Justice world. The more I have learned about RJ, the more important I believe the work of Why me? is – to give everyone affected by conflict and crime the opportunity to choose Restorative Justice.
I was a Trustee for two and a half years before making the move to staffer in May 2023 on a six-month contract to provide support at a challenging time for Why me?, with disruption to work caused by covid and significant staff change and reduction in numbers. I helped bring several struggling projects to a successful close and took on the management of others. My contract was extended, and then extended again for the period of CEO transition from Lucy Jaffé to Sara Dowling. Now Sara is well settled, it’s time for me to move on.
The highlights of my 18 months have been:
The publication of the LGBTQ+ hate crime Good Practice Guide, full of wisdom drawn from successful practice across the RJ sector. I hope this guide will continue to drive forward practice in this important area. Its use will change hearts and minds and contribute to a much needing reduction in hate crime.
Launching and managing our Interfaith project, which seeks to explore the use of RJ for interfaith conflict and hate by training up faith leaders as facilitators, in partnership with the Faith and Belief Forum and Interfaith Glasgow.
The publication of our Good Practice Guide for speakers of English as an Additional Language, with its interesting findings about the impact of cultural difference creating as much of a barrier as language, and how awareness of this, and discussing it, can mitigate its impact and maximise the likelihood of a successful restorative process.
Working with our volunteers and supporters, in particular, Jenny, Judy, Carla, Peter Woolf, and Alex Hyatt, and consultants Linda Millington, Tim Chapman, Belinda Hopkins, and Mark Smith, our Ambassadors and our Board, all of whom gave their time and wisdom so generously and have contributed to our success over this period.
And of course working with the lovely staff team over the past 18 months: Lucy Jaffé and then Sara Dowling, Keeva Baxter, Isabelle Gius, Mark Hamill, Cheryl Jacob, Leah Robinson, and Lucy Harris. We have had fun and laughs while working hard and achieving great things. I am confident that you will continue to work miracles, turning minimal resources into significant impact.
I am currently looking for work and consultancy opportunities. Whatever I do, I will continue to champion restorative practice at every opportunity and will be watching with interest what comes next for Why me? and the wider Restorative Justice community.
Why me? CEO, Sara Dowling, commented: “On behalf of the Trustees and staff, I’d like to thank Kate for her many years of contribution to Why me?, first as a Trustee and then as a valued member of the team. Kate’s many years of experience working in the criminal justice and charity sectors along with a strong commitment to Restorative Justice have been invaluable in our small team. We wish Kate all the best in her next chapter.”
