Community Mediation Centers: Expanding Opportunities for Colleges and Communities
Institutions of Higher Education have an opportunity to serve as an incubator for establishing centers for community mediation and to nourish communities that have an established community mediation center (CMCs). CMCs provide unique opportunities for students of conflict management and peace studies to explore the dynamics of relationships and conflict that exist in their local communities. CMCs services are provided by volunteer mediators, offering students opportunities to become volunteer mediators and practice the skills, processes and theories introduced in the classroom. There is no substitute for mediating actual conflict, and CMCs provide opportunities to practice with experienced community mediators. This experience provides excellent opportunities for service-based learning. For example, volunteer mediators could gain experience by assisting in training student peer mediators in schools or working with jail inmates to be peer mediators in prisons. Opportunities may also exist to partner on programming to facilitate dialogue and address campus conflict. The development of a successful CMC requires 1) Partnership with a variety of entities and campus offices to ensure ongoing case referrals, 2) Recruitment and training a diverse and skilled roster of volunteer mediators, and 3) Successfully securing ongoing funding. Often academic programs with a focus in conflict resolution, peace and justice, or law develop CMCs to further their experiential learning, community service, and applied research goals. Join this webinar to learn about national models and learn about Oberlin’s campus mediation work.
Featured Partner: Oberlin College and National Association for Community Mediation
Webinar Date: 2020-03-17
Webinar Time: 12:00 - 13:00 EST
Presenter(s): D.G Mawn and Kimberly Jackson Davidson
Presenter Bio:
D.G. Mawn, M.A.,J.D., The National Association for Community Mediation; Kimberly Jackson Davidson, Y.B. Center for Dialogue, Oberlin College Mr. Mawn is the current President of the National Association for Community Mediation. As President Mr. Mawn supports the efforts of NAFCM to amplify the voice, aggregate the wisdom and advance the work of community mediation across the continent. Since 2014, he has guided the NAFCM Learning Community, which is funded through the JAMS Foundation. The areas of focus have included: veterans, law enforcement, immigrants, foster care, and the aging population. Mr. Mawn also serves as senior consultant through Intuitive Synergies LLC in Louisville, Kentucky. He co-developed Cultural Intuitiveness™ process and he is presently conducting a systems assessment of the State of Indiana’s Substance Abuse Prevention system design and program implementation, and working with local communities to strengthen their ability to create safe and healthy communities.
Kimberly Jackson Davidson is the director of the Yeworkwha Belachew Center for Dialogue (YBCD) and the ombudsperson for Oberlin College. Davidson served as a volunteer mediator and facilitator with the YBCD from the fall of 2001 until she accepted her current position in the fall of 2016. Davidson earned a B.A. in English Literature from Spelman College in 1986 and a M.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in African Literature in 1991. In addition to Social Justice Mediation and Facilitation training (2001 and 2005) Davidson is trained as a conflict coach and uses the CINERGY Conflict Management model. Davidson and facilitates communities in dialogue about divisive topics using the Essential Partners’ Reflective Structured Dialogue model.
