Peacebuilding is a key to making Savannah a more resilient, unified community – Savannah Morning News, June 5, 2024, https://www.savannahnow.com/story/opinion/columns/2024/06/05/peacebuilding-is-a-key-to-making-savannah-a-more-resilient-community/73992190007/

This commentary is by Jill Cardenas, the executive director of The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire.

We are living in polarizing times, when divisions within families and communities often seem to run deeper than ever. However, the health of the Savannah community relies on us being connected, caring and navigating conflict successfully.

Peacebuilding can help create a stronger sense of belonging by focusing on our points of commonality while treating others with dignity. It’s important to note that peacebuilding doesn’t just happen – it’s a highly intentional process that’s centered around behaviors, beliefs and priorities that unite people.

It’s also a learned set of skills that must be practiced. Peacebuilding requires that we treat everyone with respect, regardless of their beliefs, life experiences or perspectives. It invites listening deeply and creating space for dialogue in order to foster a sense of belonging and connection.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace.”

Although it might be tempting to “unplug” from the latest news headlines and social media chatter, it’s imperative that we plug in and lean in, so we can reconnect with one another across dividing lines.

A few suggestions:

Get involved. Volunteer, serve on a board, meet your neighbors or donate your time to help others who are in need. Focus on what you can do to make a positive impact, building upon your own unique strengths, passions and interests. Help empower your workplace, civic group or family to have courageous conversations about conflict resolution.
Look at your own implicit biases. Peacebuilding requires doing inner work as well, which means asking what might be holding us back from treating others with dignity. Take steps to ensure that you never harm others, even with good intentions.
Pause before you act. Think before you post comments on social media or speak out in public. Consider whether your words will help to create peace or result in deeper harm.
Develop the tools and skills to be a peacebuilder. Navigating conflict successfully is a learned skill that requires training and resources to create healthier environments for all.

Starting June 14, The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire will offer 100 days of daily peacebuilding tips on social media, leading up to the annual Peace in the Park celebration at Daffin Park on Sept. 22.

Create space to restore relationships. Peacebuilding is about bridging divisions through constructive conversation, rather than taking a punitive approach. Create opportunities to spark dialogue, so you can restore, reinforce and strengthen relationships. Take the time to mend misunderstandings and bridge divides. Remember that peacebuilding is about acting within our locus of control and bringing conflict down to the interpersonal level.

At The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, we frequently help participants navigate conflict from divorces and civic board disagreements to workplace disputes or potentially violent neighborhood feuds – and challenge all parties to see and hear those who have been impacted.

Only when we work together to create peace in Savannah can we build the beloved community Dr. King dreamed about. By navigating our differences, treating one another with dignity and developing our skills as peacebuilders, we can ultimately find beauty in our shared humanity and create a more resilient community for all.

WTOC, June 10, 2024, https://www.wtoc.com/2024/06/10/mediation-center-coastal-empire-shared-important-mediation-tips/

SAVANNAH, Ga. (June 28, 2023)- The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is honored to partner with Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Disaster Faith Network and present: De-Escalation Techniques and Strategies for Houses of Worship, the latest training session in our Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence initiative. This session will take place on July 11th, 2023 from 9 AM-12 PM and will be held at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship Church (425 W Montgomery Crossroads, Savannah Georgia). This event is free and in-person, but RSVPs are required. (RSVP Here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejsd4e7z1a1d9703&oseq=&c=&ch= )

This training, led by Senior Manager of Community Programs, Dan Rowe, and CEMA’s Emergency Preparedness Manager, Chelsea Sawyer, will focus on implementing de-escalation techniques in faith-based organizations. The training will also cover safety planning, trauma-informed dialogue, and identifying individuals at risk of volatile escalation. The Mediation Center and CEMA will also provide a brief overview of their services so that both organizations can continue supporting Chatham County’s faith community.

 

“As conflict professionals, we can teach the community the skills and perspectives needed to change the outcomes of dangerous and unstable interactions with the potential for violence. The Mediation Center hopes to decrease violent incidents by increasing the number of people trained to de-escalate conflict,” stated Dan Rowe.

 

Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence is The Mediation Center’s first federally funded initiative. Providing training sessions is the first step in building awareness of the risk factors, skills for engaging with individuals facing these risk factors, and prevention measures for identity-based violence.

The initiative aims to train and convene local faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, community and behavioral healthcare organizations, schools, major employers, and law enforcement partners. Participation is imperative, to be successful, a member of each entity previously mentioned should attend a training session. Help us spread the word by sharing information about this training and initiative with your networks. Together we can create a local prevention network. To register for the training session or to have the content applied to your industry, please email Dan Rowe at drowe@mediationsavannah.com.

 

*This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, opportunity number DHS-21-TTP-132-00-01. Additionally,  the US Department of Homeland Security has provided guidance, resources, and a network of partnerships to bring The Mediation Center up to fluency in the realm of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (formerly considered Countering Violent Extremism). 

 

ABOUT THE MEDIATION CENTER OF THE COASTAL EMPIRE:

Founded in 1986, The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Savannah community. The organization’s mission is to harness the power of qualified volunteers, facilitate the process of citizens proactively managing conflict, provide alternatives to litigation and increase access to justice. With help from volunteers, donations, and grant funding to maintain and build on the programs that have been developed over the years, The Mediation Center supports people from all walks of life who are trying to resolve their disagreements and repair harm through conflict-resolution methods.

 

To learn more, register for Mediation Matters or other trainings here:  https://mediationsavannah.com/training/     

 

SAVANNAH, Ga. (April 20, 2023)– The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is honored to host the latest training session in their Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence initiative. This session will take place on April 28, 2023 from 9 AM-3 PM and will be held at Southwest Chatham Library (14097 Abercorn St.) This event is free, but RSVPs are required. In-person attendance is recommended, but virtual attendance will be accommodated.

 

This training, led by Senior Manager of Community Programs Dan Rowe, will focus on helping professionals in Housing and Community Care learn more about the art of de-escalation, so that they may better serve their tenants and clients. This specific training will emphasize safety and community resiliency, meaning that special attention will be paid to the community’s physical and emotional well being to ensure that community members can practice the aforementioned techniques with the greatest possible longevity.

 

“As conflict professionals, we have the capacity to equip the frontline of Housing and Community care with skills and perspective to redirect volatile and dangerous interactions with violent potential. Being unhoused is a dynamic circumstance composed of several risk factors for committing violent acts, even acts of mass violence. The Mediation Center hopes to prevent these tragedies by changing the trajectory of individual interactions,” stated Dan Rowe.

 

Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence is The Mediation Center’s  first federally funded initiative. Providing train-the-trainer sessions is the first step in building awareness of the risk factors and prevention measures for identity-based violence.  

The initiative’s main goal  is to train and convene local University CARE teams, faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, community and behavioral healthcare organizations, schools, major employers, and law enforcement partners. Participation is imperative, to be successful, a member of each entity previously mentioned should attend a train-the-trainer session. Help us spread the word by sharing information about this training and initiative with your networks. Together we can create a local prevention network.

To register for the training session or to have the content applied to your industry, please email Dan Rowe at drowe@mediationsavannah.com.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (Apr. 18, 2023) – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, Inc. is delighted to host their annual Youth Programs Recognition & Awards Celebration on Wednesday, April 19th from 6 to 8 pm at Woodville Tompkins High School.  This event serves to recognize student peer mediators and youth court volunteers who make a tremendous impact both in the community and in school as role models helping peers navigate conflict, facilitate differences peacefully, and develop conversation skills.  Charlton Bradford “Brad” Jefferson, Restorative Youth Court Volunteer and Vice President of administration for The 100 Black Men of Savannah is the keynote speaker.

All recognized students in attendance will receive a “Youth Peacemakers” medallion and other awardees will be honored for their exemplary successes in the program.

The Mediation Center’s Peer Mediation Program is a peer-led confidential process for resolving conflicts. Students have the opportunity to talk through difficult situations with the help of trained student mediators.  Peer Mediators do not take sides and keep all information confidential.  This process nurtures empathy and empowers students to develop their own solutions.  The Peer Mediation Program has trained over 2500 students since its inception.  These students receive twelve hours of intense training which prepares them to mediate conflict among their classmates.  Sixty-two percent of incidents occur in the classroom, taking away valuable instruction time.  School Coordinators support Peer Mediators through the process resulting in over 90% of students reaching an agreement and 95% of the agreements remaining effective one-month post mediation.

Over 75 students trained to volunteer in Restorative Youth Court during the 2022-2023 school year.  Restorative Youth Court is a youth-led diversionary program for students who have repeatedly broken school code of conduct rules. Instead of receiving the traditional discipline of the schools, the youth will appear at a disposition hearing administered by trained youth volunteers. These trained volunteers will collaboratively decide the disposition of the student respondent in the form of community service hours, written apologies, and/or an essay. The benefits of the program include reduced recidivism, youth leadership, rapid response, positive peer pressure, and cost-effectiveness. Youth respond better to this positive peer pressure than to sanctions from adults. We have seen how youth court reduces recidivism, involves more youth in addressing the issues facing our community, and allows us to develop future leaders

“We are proud to recognize the students that have said yes and committed to making their school a peaceful place to learn.  These students commit to two-full days of intensive training in effective communication, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution skills and it is vital we celebrate their success and award their efforts.”  Mediation Center Restorative Youth Practices & Community Outreach Director, Sherlisa Praylo.