Hear from Jill Cardenas, Executive Director of the Mediation Center, on the Positive Peer Influencer program.
Meet the Positive Peer Influencers
Meet the Positive Peer Influencers. they are a group of teens mentoring other students on tough topics like drug awareness and peer pressure. Find out how they are making a difference in Chatham County schools.
Dan Rowe of The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire on Workplace De-Escalation Training
Wednesday, August 23rd, 2023
Senior Manager of Community Programs at The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire Dan Rowe talks about the customizable de-escalation training programs they offer to the area.
All about virtual mediation…
As with almost everything else, Covid-19 has disrupted normal court proceedings. What does this mean for mediation?
Luckily for us, The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire has continued to provide mediation services through teleconferencing. Although we were worried at first, our mediators and support staff have been successfully holding virtual mediations.
In the past five months, the Mediation Center has held mediation services virtually for members of our Savannah and Chatham county communities. Using Zoom, a teleconferencing platform, we provide virtual mediation in the same neutral, confidential, and collaborative way as we do in person.
Some may find virtual mediation even more easy and flexible than our typical in-person sessions. Parties can Zoom in from the comfort of their homes or offices (no commute!), or even driving on their way to work (although we don’t necessarily encourage that – stay safe on the roads, folks!). With the ease of no commute and mediating from the comfort of one’s own home, some of our volunteer mediators have even found that participants are more relaxed, making the overall mediation process more satisfying for all involved.
Virtual mediations are almost identical to in-person options. Rather than signing in person, we send the mediation guidelines to all the parties by email before the mediation begins and, if the parties make an agreement, sign digitally with online documentation software. Breakout rooms allow mediators to speak with parties individually, just like they would in the office. The transition has been seamless.
We don’t know when the courts will resume hearings. Jury trials and most grand jury proceedings have been prohibited since March of this year and will be on hold at least until mid-September. In the meantime, virtual mediation provides an opportunity for parties to find justice and resolution – making for one less worry during stressful times.
You can find more information about our virtual mediations on our Mediation FAQ page.
Introducing Community Conversations
Last Saturday, twenty-two people gathered on a Zoom call to discuss “Race in the Time of Corona.” The discussion was the first of a three-part series in the Mediation Center’s new facilitated dialogue program, Community Conversations. Community Conversations seeks to gather community members to relate and connect, building healthier, more resilient communities. It is a safe space to listen and be heard.
Community Conversations are facilitated dialogues, which means that a facilitator guides participants through an open sharing process, giving them the opportunity to draw upon and share their own experiences while hearing and learning from others’. It is an opportunity to engage deeply with those we may never interact with normally.
Topics are chosen by facilitators or suggested by community members. Our past conversations have included “Hate Speech, Free Speech, and Campus Life,” “Unmasking Shame,” and “Anxious Around ReOpening…for You and Your Family.”
Inspired by Living Room Conversations, our Community Conversations are governed by LRC ground rules to ensure that we have deep and meaningful conversations:
- Be curious and listen to understand.
- Show respect and suspend judgment.
- Note any common ground as well as any differences.
- Be authentic and welcome that from others.
- Be purposeful and to the point.
- Own and guide the conversation.
With these ground rules, participants can share and engage with each other – even with those who have vastly differing views! During Saturday’s Community Conversation, participants shared their relationship to race and how it may have changed after George Floyd’s death. Diverse in race, age, background, and location (one participant even joined from outside the United States!), we spoke for two hours, sharing experiences, asking questions, and making connections. It was a powerful evening.
Please check out our upcoming Community Conversations and join us for an evening of meaningful connection and honest discussion.
