History

BRITE Collaborative (BRITE CO) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded under the name Teaching Peace in November 1994, Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP) in 2000 and became BRITE Collaborative in 2024. We were established as a result of Dr. Beverly Title and Lana Leonard’s vision for creating a safer, more inclusive and compassionate community that prioritized restoration over retribution.

The initial work of the organization focused on bullying, school violence prevention, and multicultural storytelling, reflecting the expertise of the founders. Shortly thereafter, LCJP engaged with several key stakeholders to partner with us in bringing Restorative Justice to Longmont. We reached out to the police chief, the local school district superintendent, the municipal judge, chief probation officer, and director of a school for expelled students. All agreed to participate and the Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP) was formed. Our collaboration with community agencies has grown and changed over the years, but Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices have remained the primary work of LCJP.

We work closely with the Longmont Police Department and City of Longmont. We want to support the implementation of Restorative Practices (a continuum of restorative interventions that includes Restorative Justice) as far and wide as possible, so we have developed training modules to work with Law Enforcement Agencies, Schools, Volunteers, Individuals, and anyone else who feels Restorative Practices could make a difference where they live, work, play, and learn. Our goal is to continue to build on our legacy as a pioneering Restorative Justice agency, and use our experience to support best practices of restorative work in communities through the state and country.

Learn more about our history.