Around the world, in developed and developing countries, we are witnessing remarkable and inspiring programs, large and small, working to ameliorate the impact of post-crisis, abusive, or deprived situations for children. The Whole Child Initiative is seeking to discern those factors present in the restorative process in such situations, and to discern what prepares the foundation of the child so that values may be rooted and capacities fully realized. Cognizant that relational qualities must be woven into the very fabric of an effective program, we will be eliciting stories in peoples own subjective frameworks in order to generate the concepts and language to describe what people are actually doing in programs that contribute to the well-being of children, their families, and the communities to which they belong.

Despite differences brought about by contextual variations, including cultural, political, and economic factors, we believe that common themes prevail in community-based programs worldwide. Our focus is on programs that embrace cultural diversity, that are locally-designed and managed, and that foster and sustain the development of the whole child and the support systems upon which the well-being of the child depends.