My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou
Our Mission:
To support and defend the dignity and equity of the individual through the philosophy and practices of Restorative Justice in the community.
Who We Are
We are a group of like-minded professionals that have come together to provide curriculum and support for schools and other community programs to build a stronger sense of community through Restorative Justice philosophy and practices. Our ultimate goal is to empower youth to become the most caring parents, partners, co-workers, and community members of tomorrow, by stepping into the power of their authentic selves today.
Alex Yrungaray
Alex Yrungaray is the founder and Executive Director for Building Up Youth, a non-profit organization that brings Restorative Justice philosophy and practices to middle and high schools in Utah. Alex specializes in working with school communities to shift from a punitive to a restorative-minded philosophy. She also specializes in building a student-driven curriculum specific to each unique school culture. Then training faculty, staff, and students in conferencing, Circles, peer mediation, and other Restorative Justice in Education philosophy and practices. She is also currently teaching leadership to 8th-graders at SLCSE-Bryant Middle School, through funding through a state-sponsored grant.
Alex is a founding member of the Restorative Justice Collaborative of Utah. Sits on the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee as the Restorative Justice specialist. She trains those working with youth how to facilitate Circles on an international level through Teen Talking Circles out of Bainbridge Island, WA. To further her depth of research and restorative justice practices she is currently working towards both a Master's of Education with a concentration in Restorative Justice in Education and a certificate in Trauma and Resilience in Educational Environments at Eastern Mennonite University
When Alex isn’t focused on restorative justice she loves to paint, sew, enjoy the outdoors, and travel with her husband and four children, who live in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.