5/17: Judge urges city, unions into arbitration in turnaround dispute read 5/17: Mediation on denial of open enrollment set read 5/16: Ex-cons step in to mediate conflict, prevent gun violence read 5/11: UCSB Extension Mediator Provides Prisoners with Tools for Peace read 5/10: EDITORIAL: Thou shalt seek mediation read 5/07: Federal judge orders mediation for Ten Commandments case involving southwest Va high school read 4/30: No mediation unless students give up on tuition freeze, Quebec minister warns read 4/30: Montreal CAN: Students to propose mediation to resolve tuition crisis read 4/20: Late-night mediation fails to resolve dispute over BC report cards read 4/20: Teachers' union required to attend sessions despite request to oust mediator read read all
I am all I have to work with, to play with, to suffer and to enjoy. It is not the eyes of others that I am wary of, but my own.
On Beating Bullies (5/14/12) Michael Jacobs Tackling bullying may involve a counter-intuitive approach. While naming and shaming may leave us feeling morally superior, it might also produce ever more subtle forms of bullying. This article argues that we need to encourage those of us who feel like kicking butts to ‘come in from the cold’. 3 Comments
Mediators Instead of Police? (5/07/12) Jeff Thompson A new report, ordered after last year’s student protests on the UC Berkley campus resulting in the pepper-spraying of nonviolent student protesters that received global media coverage, has resulted in 50 recommendations over 133 pages. The report details recommendations on how to prepare and respond for similar situations in the future.
GenWhy--A Site for Young International Mediators (5/07/12) Aik Kramer With its platform Generation Why supports young mediators, and through its website enables them to become more visible. Also, Generation Why wants to facilitate this ‘light community’ of young mediators by organizing various kinds of activities. Generation Why is convinced that in future mediators will fulfill an important role in solving social issues. Peer mediators are, by definition, in step with their generation and can help make complex social conflicts involving youth and young adults manageable again.
AudioBlog: Victim Offender Dialogue (4/30/12) Patricia Porter Barbara Raye will talk about the Restorative Justice practice of Victim Offender Mediation. VOM engages those who have been harmed by crime or other actions, those who have offended or harmed others, and the communities they live in. Its goals are to empower people to define their own needs for healing, prevent future harm, and build community connections for the long term health of everyone involved.
Seven Tips for Setting Boundaries and Consequences with Teens (2/06/12) Lorraine Segal One huge source of conflict and stress for parents of teens is figuring out how to set appropriate guidelines and consequences and then follow through successfully. Here are some tips and suggestions based on communication and conflict resolution principles.
What's Your Generation? (12/12/11) Phyllis Pollack The second issue of ADR Times Perspectives (Vol. 1, No. 2, Nov. 2011, hit my e-mail inbox the other day. Having enjoyed the first issue, I eagerly thumbed through this second issue and found an interesting article by Jasper Ozbirn entitled “Generational Gaps in the Workplace” (at pages 8-9.) According to its author, the purpose of this article is “. . .to provide the briefest of primers on how generational differences can play out in the workplace to create a conflict.” (Id.)
Don't Shoot (10/17/11) Joe Markowitz First, recognize that the number of people responsible for the vast majority of violence in most cities is relatively small. So concentrate on those people. Next, let the street gangs know that violence will no longer be tolerated.
AudioBlog: Sibling Rivalry (8/29/11) Patricia Porter Summer is ending and the school year draws near. Our kids have had lots of fun times together. Siblings can be the best of friends, but conflict and disagreements are also a natural part of their ever-changing relationships. We may not always realize it, but we have many ways to help our kids learn how to "fight fair" - to work out disagreements without punching or shouting.
The One (Mediation) That Didn't Get Away (6/19/11) Vivian Scott After this mediation I closed the door and cried for the pair’s past, for my gratefulness at being allowed to see such pure emotion, and for the richness this experience brought to my life.
Thoughts on Mediating Custody (5/30/11) Jessica Spear, Jeffrey J. Beaton As a mediator, I have been involved in thousands of custody cases with their many nuances. Frequently, the perspectives of the participants amount to little more than parents playing out traditional gender roles. The mothers often argue a “tender years” position, and the fathers counter with a desire to be more than a mere “weekend dad.” The mediator’s role becomes especially frustrating when the parties truly believe an intractable position is in the best interest of the child. 6 Comments
Prisoner of a Teen Brain (5/30/11) Lorraine Segal I read in the newspaper a few days ago that the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled to uphold a life sentence without parole to a teen, Omer Ninham, who murdered a 13 year old when he was 14.
Back to Basics (5/23/11) Phyllis Pollack Contrary to what occurs in most pre-schools, while these pre-schoolers had lots of energy and were very active, they did not fight, yell or whine. 1 Comment
What It's Ultimately All About (5/23/11) Jan Frankel Schau Once in awhile, we all need to take a break from our day jobs to tend to our life's real work. For me, last week's Commencement from Columbia University, and this euphoric image of our youngest son becoming a College Graduate have fulfilled my life's true purpose.
From Anger to Open Heart with Teens (5/09/11) Lorraine Segal Our feelings are an essential part of communication and relationships, but unmanaged anger can sabotage us. When we’re angry, we can’t listen or resolve problems well, and any loving connection is blocked.
Mom: The Ultimate Mediation Trainer (5/09/11) Jan Frankel Schau There's some debate about whether great mediators are born or made. I say that those of us lucky enough to have Mom's as mediation trainers provide a great model for sound mediation principles. My Mom, Bette, taught me these principles which have guided and eased not only my parenting, but some good instincts which serve me well professionally, too.
Mediation and Early Childhood Development (4/18/11) Phyllis Pollack on Law Journal 183 (2010). (Bader,SelfandIdentity) In it, Ms. Bader shows the reader that the identity of self about which we all learned in psychology class plays a much more important role in negotiation and mediation than we think.
Finding New Solutions for Parent-Teen Conflict (4/11/11) Lorraine Segal Successful communication and conflict resolution with teenagers can be immensely challenging. When parents find an approach that helped, it is natural to hope it will work again.
Communication (4/03/11) Joe Markowitz Twins, especially before they learn to speak our language, seem to share their own secret language, and communicate in ways that outsiders cannot understand.
Israel Reflections: Dinner with the Baraks (4/03/11) Andrea Schneider As followers of the blog know, one of the high points of our trip to Israel was dinner with Justice Aharon Barak and his wife Judge Elika Barak. We were also joined by their daughter, Tamar, who is a mediator. Interestingly from the dispute resolution perspective, Justice Barak was the judge who brought mediation to Israel through the Supreme Court, permitting cases to be referred to mediation
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