Conflict Resolution
The Civic Project
The CIVIC (Conflict and Violence Intervention in Communities) Project is a new initiative launched by the program in the Spring of 2007. The Civic Project is a pivotal part of the Post Baccalaureate Certificate and Master of Arts programs in Conflict Resolution. The program focuses on pragmatic approaches to solving problems in a variety of institutional and social settings, both in this country and abroad. Students are exposed to a wide array of techniques and strategies to achieve nonviolent solutions to conflicts that arise in diverse personal, professional, organizational, and community environments.
To develop professional resolution and management skills, students and alumni will collaborate and provide services in a vibrant practice and training project that:
- provides direct services to families and schools
- trains community leaders and care providers, human resource and other
relevant personnel
provides workshops and trainings by conflict resolution professionals from across the country and abroad - sponsors future film festivals to engage the local university and college communities in discussions of mediation, peace studies, war, community building, conflict transformation at home and abroad and related topics
- provides mediation experience and mentoring as part of the requirements for court-related mediation certification in the State of North Carolina
- provides a place for local mediators to practice at reasonable cost and students to gain practice mediation experience
- provides video feedback, assessment and de-briefing of mediation cases
for student practitioners
practices conflict resolution in the context of community service and future grant-related research projects
Training and workshops will be offered to student and program alumni
at reduced fees or as part of the program’s practicum experience.
At full capacity, the project will provide mediation and conflict resolution
services to local organizations, education and training for campus personnel
and the community, North Carolina State Mediation Certification Training,
and function as a research center in partnership with UNCG and A &
T departments, community schools and statewide dispute resolution centers.
Consulting and conflict service fees and services are outlined below.
Mediation Training Center
The North Carolina 40-hour Mediation Certification courses are currently offered twice a year, once for Family District/Financial Mediation in the Fall and once for Superior Court Mediation in the Spring. The fee is discounted for program students, and the program is offered to the public from all over the State. This program is administered and co-sponsored by the Conflict Resolution Program and implemented by Andy Little of Mediation, Inc. in Winston-Salem.
Conflict Resolution Training for UNCG faculty, staff and students
A short series of workshops and trainings during the 2008 – 2009 academic year is envisioned for university personnel and students. We are working directly with the Office of Student Affairs to promote campus mediation and training students to be more active in resolving local campus conflict
Workshops
We will launch a series of workshops this year, beginning with Restorative Conferencing for UNCG faculty and staff.
Conferencing is a facilitated restorative justice practice where the victim, along with others impacted and supporters, has the opportunity to speak about the impact of the offender’s actions and about what they need for the harm to be repaired. The offender has the opportunity to speak to what occurred and to work with the victim to repair that harm that was done. Potentially included in the conference are one or more individuals from within the offender’s “community of care” and staff or faculty who may have been impacted. The group works together to determine how the harm may be repaired and to support the offender in repairing that harm.
The purpose of the restorative conference model is to:
- To include victims in the judicial process.
- To encourage dialog between victims and offenders.
- To enable victims and offenders to work together to construct a plan of action in response to an incident that holds offenders accountable while meeting victims needs.
- To educate Guilford College community members about the need for civic engagement
- To build student capacity for evaluating the impact of their behavior on the community.
- To legitimate college policies by creating community consequences around behavior standards as determined by the community.
- To create more equitable responses to student misconduct.
- To create a more inclusive judicial process that addresses social
distancing and emphasizes sanctioning strategies that rebuild conventional
social ties in the community. (Restorative justice on the college
campus, Karp & Allena, 2004)
Services Available
The CIVIC Project, UNCG Conflict Resolution Program
Services
Community Assessment
The community assessment is a way for the consultant team and the community
to develop a more complete understanding of the existing situations, their
causes, the impact it is having on the community, and to make some initial
recommendations for interventions. The assessment includes attendance
at and observation of at least one meeting, contacting and interviewing
via phone/email/mail key community members, analysis of information, production
of report, presentation of findings at a meeting, and facilitation of
at least one community and/or board meeting. The assessment would include
the involvement of at least 1 faculty, 1 alumni, and 2 graduate students.
Estimated time frame 2-3 months for completion and reporting. Additional
assessors can be added, by request and based on availability, for $75
for faculty/alumni, and $25 per student. This can be done as a first step
to a longer-term relationship or as a stand-alone.
Training
Developed to suit your interests and needs on a range of topics and for
a number of group sizes including: nature and meanings of conflict, diversity,
dealing with difficult people and situations, facilitation, negotiation,
and peer mediation (additional topics upon request). This includes development
of materials and time for 1 faculty/alumni and 2 student trainers. Training
to be scheduled at least one month in advance.
Facilitation
Facilitators act as non-directive group leaders and focus on guiding and
improving the process of interactions between individuals and groups as
opposed to any substantive issues. Facilitators are often used to help
build consensus and arrive at a consensus decisions, but facilitators
are not decision makers and do not interject opinions about substantive
issues into group processes.
Mediation (Co-mediation req. for groups of 10 or more)
Mediation is a process where an impartial mediator or co-mediators help
disputants arrive at a resolution to a specific conflict. Mediators do
not make decisions or impose solutions, but help parties arrive at the
best solution for them based on their situation. Mediation often takes
more than one session, but experience dictates that individual mediation
sessions should last no more than 90-120 minutes without prior consent
of all involved. We will mediate disputes between individual members of
the community (noise violations, pet problems, etc.) with student mediators,
supervised by trained faculty or alumni, free of charge if clients will
allow audio/video taping (used strictly for teaching purposes).
Conflict Coaching
Coaching is a process by which individuals or small groups work directly
with a professional coach to assist them in achieving goals and objectives
outlined by the client. Conflict coaching is a direct intervention focused
on helping individuals and/or groups learn to understand identified conflicts,
educate participants about conflict resolution processes (e.g. facilitation,
mediation), and develop strategies to be successful in conflict resolution
processes. Coaches can help clients consider their alternatives, pan how
to frame their concerns and suggestions, and consider how to listen and
acknowledge other parties even as they disagree with them. Coaches can
also help people prepare to deal with aggressive behaviors and be both
powerful and conciliatory at the same time.
Restorative Conferencing (Individual or Co-mediators)
Conferencing is a facilitated restorative justice practice where a “victim”,
along with others impacted and supporters, has the opportunity to speak
about the impact of an “offender’s” actions and about
what they need for the harm to be repaired. The offender has the opportunity
to speak to what occurred and to work with the victim to repair that harm
that was done. Potentially included in the conference are one or more
individuals from within the offender’s “community of care”
and others who may have been impacted. The group works together to determine
how the harm may be repaired and to support the offender in repairing
that harm. This can bring closure to conflict with a difficult person
or behavior without ostracizing the person from the group; this process
develops a safe dialog where people who have done something to others
may be brought back into the group while still being held accountable.
*Because we are part of a teaching program, we may request to bring no more than three student observers for group experiences and two for individual interventions at any one time in addition to the team working with you. We would put this request in writing not less than 36 hours in advance.
1 Prices for most services are based on a sliding scale. Quoted prices should not be seen as definitive.