Silvana Munro's Journey from Volunteer to Bilingual Program Coordinator at LCJP

LCJP’s newest team member Silvana Munro was also a volunteer with LCJP for about 5 years before she joined the staff team! Silvana, joined the LCJP team Jaunary of this year as Operations Coordinator and has recently transitioned into a new role as a Bilingual Program Coordinator. We have been so grateful to have Silvana join our team as she bring so much joy, laughter and expertise to our office and the different roles she’s had!

As LCJP continues to strive for equity and accessibility, Silvana reminds us of the importance of language justice and forming meaningful connections with individuals in the community. LCJP intern Annika Aumentado sat down with Silvana for an interview about what drew her to LCJP and Restorative Practices.

Q: How did you first hear about LCJP?

A: It was in 2018. My friend, David Cooley, who used to work here wanted to hire me as an interpreter and bring me on as a volunteer. And I like when organizations hire interpreters, I think it's very noble of them to try to do that language justice: try to provide language services to people who don't speak English. I said, immediately “I’m in!” and started as a community member, sometimes also doing interpretations. And since then I've been involved with LCJP.

Q: What was your first impression of restorative justice?

A: At the beginning I didn't know what restorative justice was. My friend, David, told me “I'm working in a restorative justice organization” and I had no idea what he was talking about. But then when I got into the process, it was something completely new to me and I thought it was a very compassionate way to look at conflict. I’d never imagined that conflicts could be resolved that way.

Q: Can you expand a little bit on that? How is it different from previous ways that you've seen conflict handled?

A: For me the big difference was, trying to repair the relationship between the victim and the responsible person. I never thought that was even possible. The big thing that caught my attention was putting those two parties together and having them talk to each other to understand why they did what they did. I guess it's compassion. It's trying to heal the relationship between them, and understanding their reasons and their background. Repair is not completely possible, but at least it creates peace. I have been a victim in the past and I was hurt and offended, so I understand how difficult it can be to repair relationships. That's what I like about restorative justice. 

Q: What do you think is something that you learned or took away from being a community member and a volunteer for so many years? You got to be part of a lot of conferences and observe from that perspective.

A: Before participating as a volunteer I really didn't even know how I could possibly be impacted as a Longmont neighbor. I never thought about it, but once I came here, I realized that when people commit some kind of offense, it impacts all of us, whatever age we are, whatever race, and whatever neighborhood we live in, there is always some kind of impact.

Later on, I got better at trying to see the impacts for the community, especially for my Latinx community. For example, when I participated in conferences of cases of little girls stealing in a store, I could only think of my daughter. What if my daughter had been doing this? What if this was my daughter misbehaving? After that, I approached the cases with more empathy because these are very young kids, like my daughter or my son, who make mistakes or give in to peer pressure. It made me more compassionate, more patient as a volunteer. That's my biggest takeaway: having more flexibility and patience when dealing with youth.

Q: So now that you work here at LCJP, what work are you most proud of that you've contributed?

A: I really enjoy helping with cases where I get to interact with families using the Spanish language. I have always worked or volunteered in nonprofits who work with Spanish speaking families with little kids. That kind of contact is very fulfilling for me, getting to explain to them about programs, processes or paperwork. 

Q: Can you expand a bit more of your role as an interpreter? And how do you think it plays an important role, especially in organizations like LCJP?

A: When I started at LCJP as an interpreter, I loved being that bridge in communication for monolingual-speaking families, giving them the freedom to express themselves in their native language was everything. Personally, for me as a Spanish speaker, I understand the comfort of being able to express myself in my mother tongue. I also understand how stressful it is for a person to communicate their thoughts in a foreign language in situations of extreme distress, such as interactions with the police or in court. 

I am always honored to be that bridge in communication for monolingual parents who have to support their children through the restorative justice process in their native language. I always try to be in their shoes and attune with their feelings when I am interpreting for them because I imagine it must be heart-wrenching to know that your child got in trouble with the criminal justice system or the police.

Q: What are some other ways that LCJP can continue to expand equity and connect with the community in a meaningful way?

A: LCJP is already doing a great job when it comes to equity because they have different payment options for families who can't afford the program fees. They also provide language justice in the form of interpretation for families. Also, a manual for undocumented volunteers is being drafted. I think that is really inclusive and community oriented. 

Q: Why would you urge more people to volunteer? Like if you could like urge or reach out to a large amount of people, why would you tell them it's so important to have volunteers in this organization? 

A: They will get to learn a lot about repair, healing relationships and what restorative justice is in general. Like I said, I had no idea what RJ was when I started as a volunteer, but the more I learned about it, the more drawn I was to participate as a volunteer. I even took those practices back to my own personal life, into my family. I started having restorative conversations with my kids and my husband whenever there was conflict, which I had never done before. I mean, it goes beyond just the organization. I believe that it has an impact on you as a person, in your family, in your closest circles. 

Silvana has brought compassion and passion to her work at LCJP and brings an incredibly unique perspective on the importance of community connection and care. As a well-established member of the Longmont community, Silvana’s participation in our Community Restorative Justice programs strengthens our organization’s work!