At a recent meeting of the Longmont Rotary Club, Kristen Fledderjohn, Development Manager for Bright Collaborative, shared insights into the organization’s work building stronger relationships and addressing conflict through restorative justice. Kristen joined Bright Collaborative in the summer of 2024 and brings extensive experience working and volunteering across nonprofit sectors.

Bright Collaborative, originally founded in 1994 by educator Beverly Title in the St. Vrain Valley School District, grew from early efforts to bring restorative practices into schools. The organization has evolved over the years—from Teaching Peace to the Longmont Community Justice Partnership—and is now known as Bright Collaborative, reflecting its mission of “Bringing Restorative Interventions to Everyone.”

Kristen explained that restorative justice focuses on repairing harm and strengthening relationships rather than simply punishing wrongdoing. Through facilitated conversations and structured “circles,” participants discuss what happened, who was affected, and how the harm can be repaired. This approach gives victims a voice, encourages accountability from those responsible, and helps restore relationships within the community.

Bright Collaborative works with youth, adults, schools, law enforcement, and community members across Longmont. Programs such as the Rewind youth diversion program help address low-level offenses by connecting young people with resources and restorative processes rather than the traditional justice system.

Research shows restorative justice can significantly reduce repeat offenses and has a very high satisfaction rate among participants. Kristen emphasized that the ultimate goal is building respectful relationships and equipping people with the communication skills needed to resolve conflict and strengthen community connections.

A dynamic and engaging presentation titled “Kickstart Communication Mastery: The Neuroscience of Communication Perception” was delivered by Gabriella Richardson, who co-leads Ascent Training and Consulting, supporting organizations that lose time, talent, and resources due to miscommunication and misaligned systems.

Her interactive session explored the hidden cost of miscommunication in both personal and professional settings. From strained family relationships and social isolation to workplace inefficiency—where 20–40% of time may be lost due to misunderstandings—the impact is significant. In healthcare alone, over 70% of malpractice claims are linked to communication breakdowns.

Through simple but powerful exercises, she demonstrated how two people can interpret the same words or situations entirely differently. Drawing on neuroscience, she explained that while our brains are exposed to millions—even billions—of bits of information at any moment, we consciously process only a tiny fraction. We naturally delete, distort, and generalize information based on our past experiences, beliefs, and emotional states, creating personal “stories” that shape our reactions.

Her key message: communication challenges are rarely about right or wrong—they are about perception. By becoming more aware of our mental filters and aligning our thoughts, feelings, and actions, we can build stronger, more authentic connections.