Community Mediation: its power and challenges

The general idea of Community Mediation is that trained volunteers work on neighbor disputes. The volunteer mediators are impartial. This approach can keep disputes out of court. And that’s the most common understanding of it. But community mediation can be much more. First, the individuals in a specific mediated dispute can experience a way to address disagreements and conflict  beyond just hating a neighbor or getting the police involved, in one way or another.  Many settings beyond neighborhoods can benefit. Not just individuals but groups and organizations can engage in mediation. And services beyond mediation can have great value.

  The hard part is the funding, at least in part because it can be difficult to put a monetary value on problems solved, relationships improved, and government expenses avoided.

 You can learn more about Community Mediation through the website of the U.S. based National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) https://www.nafcm.org/. 

Do you have comments or suggestions about a topic or guest? An idea or question about conflict management or conflict resolution? Let me know at jb@dovetailresolutions.com! And you can learn more about me and my work as a mediator and a Certified CINERGY® Conflict Coach at www.dovetailresolutions.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/janebeddall/.

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