SAVANNAH, GA – May 31, 2018 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is pleased to welcome back Lee Robbins as the new Director of Mediation Services.

Robbins most recently served as the Housing Advocate for the Georgia Legal Services Program. In that role, he supported and helped clients in Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Tattnall, Toombs, Emanuel, Liberty, and Long counties by holding tenant rights workshops, developing and providing educational materials, attending grievance hearings, focusing on outreach and community development, and identifying barriers to subsidized housing.

Robbins previously worked with the Mediation Center for five years, as a Case Manager and then as the Director of Programs. As the Director of Programs, Robbins assisted in helping to open the Family Law Resource Center, led parenting and legitimation classes, and promoted and taught the BRAVE (Building Relationships and Voicing Emotions) program.

Robbins earned his Associate of Arts in Business Administration and Management from Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences from Jacksonville University, and a Master of Social Work from Florida State University. He is a trained civil, domestic, and domestic violence mediator, and is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

“I am thrilled Lee has accepted this important position with us,” Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said. “His background, skills and dedication make him an ideal choice. Lee is focused, driven and will be an asset to the Mediation Center’s team, our stakeholders and the citizens we serve.”

For more information about the Mediation Center, please visit mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or email info@mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – May 21, 2018 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire has been awarded a $2,500 grant by Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. to boost its Peer Mediation program.

The Peer Mediation program has become popular with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, where 35 schools now host a team of peer mediators. These dedicated students have become certified in mediation and are now helping their peers to settle disputes and handle conflicts without the need for disciplinary intervention.

This confidential process gives participants the opportunity to talk through their troubles without bias from peer mediators. Peer mediators listen to all participants and help the participants to develop their own solution to the conflict. Many kinds of conflicts can be mediated, including teasing, disagreements, name-calling, rumor and gossip harassment, cheating and stealing and cases of vandalism.

As interest in the program grows, more resources must be dedicated to expanding the program. Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said the decision to apply for a Gulfstream grant to ramp up Peer Mediation came easily to her. “The Peer Mediation program is beneficial to both the student mediators and the students they are helping. Peer mediators are committed to making their school a peaceful place to learn, which is an admirable goal for teenagers. Before they can mediate, they receive intensive training in communication, problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. The skills students are learning in the mediation process are life-long skills and will create a healthier workplace,” Cheeks said. “And the children who undergo peer mediation come to understand problems don’t have to escalate. Issues can be addressed before they develop into full-blown confrontations. We appreciate Gulfstream recognizing
the value of this program to help nurture future leaders.”

To learn more about the program, email Crystal Commodore at ccommodore@mediationsavannah.com or call 912-999-2110 or visit mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272- 8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR(5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – May 22, 2018 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire has been awarded $2,000 from South State Bank. The funds received will benefit the Mediation Center’s Community Conferencing program, which has gained momentum over the past few months as an in-demand dispute-resolution option.

The Community Conferencing program, which is overseen by Mediation Center’s Director of Youth Programs Crystal Commodore, provides a safe and structured space for people involved in a conflict or crime to meet and resolve the incident. Community Conferencing can be used to resolve a multitude of situations, such as minor assault, breaking and entering, shoplifting, property destruction, burglary,
trespassing and auto theft. The process helps people respond in constructive ways by inviting everyone affected to the conference and encouraging them to share their feelings and thoughts on how best to remedy the conflict.

Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks expressed gratitude for South State Bank’s generosity and the value the bank sees in the program.

“Community Conferencing is a response that has been demonstrated in many jurisdictions to be effective more than 90% of the time, which we’re currently exceeding in Chatham County. The conference provides an opportunity to heal the harm that has been caused and for the community to heal. The person who caused harm is held accountable for their actions and they contribute to the
development of a specific plan for how to prevent future incidents and define a better path going forward,” Cheeks said. “We’re thankful to South State Bank for awarding us these funds, which will support a program that, ultimately, benefits our whole community.”

Commodore and Mediation Center board member Buddy Metzger accepted the donation check this week from bank representatives Holden T. Hayes, Division President, and Eula J. Parker, Senior Vice President and Community Development Officer, during a brief ceremony at the Mediation Center.

For more information on the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire or Community Conferencing, please visit mediationsavannah.com, call 912-354-6686 or email info@mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR (5377)

SAVANNAH, GA – MAY 17, 2018 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire recently announced a rebrand and a refocus for one of its more successful youth programs. The Children of Peaceful Engagement (COPE) program was introduced on a trial basis in 2017 and
has now been expanded and launched as BRAVE – Building Relationships and Voicing Emotions.

“We are committed to building on our youth programs and, after a successful trial period working with school-age children, we believe that our program to help children develop the skills for Building Relationships and Voicing Emotions offers a real opportunity for the greater
Savannah community,” Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said.

The BRAVE program teaches children who are going through stressful situations how to build skills to create healthy relationships and understand emotions. Proven engagement strategies that focus on understanding and emotional learning can be taught on-site in schools, libraries, meeting centers and other public facilities. BRAVE consists of four modules and can be customized to be delivered in one session or multiple sessions.

This summer, BRAVE will be implemented by Horizons Savannah and will continue at Park Place Outreach, a youth emergency shelter that provides support for troubled children and teens from Savannah and the surrounding area. Julie Wade, executive director of Park Place Outreach, said “BRAVE is a very informative program with impressive curriculum. It keeps the children’s attention and is centered on the biggest social issues youth face today, such as being able to deal with anger, the grief cycle, feelings of denial and acceptance. Youth need to feel heard, share experiences, and learn new skills, and BRAVE delivers.”

To learn more about the Mediation Center or the BRAVE Program, please visit mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR(5377).

SAVANNAH, GA – April 11, 2018 – The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is slated to host its 2018 Youth Awards Extravaganza at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at Woodville Tompkins Technical & Career High School, 151 Coach Joe Turner St., in Savannah.

This event serves to recognize student mediators who make a tremendous impact on both the community and as role models in their schools by helping their peers navigate conflict, develop conversation skills, and facilitate differences peacefully. WSAV news anchor Kim Gusby will emcee the event and Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Superintendent Dr. Ann Levett will be the keynote speaker.

The Mediation Center’s Peer Mediation Program is a confidential process for resolving conflicts. Students have the opportunity to talk through difficult situations with the help of these 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 students in over 35 schools. The program consists of delivering Peer Mediator Training to student mediators from second to 12th grade, which prepares them to mediate conflict among their classmates. Sixty-two percent of incidents occur
in the classroom, taking away from valuable instruction time. School coordinators have supported these Peer Mediators to mediate over 300 disputes during the 2016-17 school year, with 97 percent resulting in students reaching an agreement, and 92 percent of agreements remaining effective one-month post mediation.

“It is so important to our organization that we recognize these peer mediators who are committed to making their school a peaceful place to learn. These students go through intensive training in communication, problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills before becoming peer mediators and it’s vital that we recognize their hard work and accomplishments,” Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said.

Please register to attend this event by emailing info@mediationsavannah.com as space is limited. To learn more about the Mediation Center or the Peer Mediation Program, please visit mediationsavannah.com.

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For media inquiries, please contact Hollie Barnidge at hollie@lesleyfrancispr.com or 912-272-8651 or Lesley Francis at lesley@francis.com at 912-429-3950 or the team at 912-417-LFPR(5377).