Community Mediation, Inc

 CLOSED FOR NEW APPLICATIONS!

Community Mediation is currently in the position to offer one local community group, agency or non-profit a four session, facilitated dialogue on the topic of their choice, Free of Charge! You supply the people and the space and we will provide the facilitators and the food.

What is a dialogue and why would I need it?
A dialogue is a facilitated group discussion created for the face-to-face exchange of personal stories, values, and perspectives. Because of its roots in community organizing, dialogue works very well for moving from talk to action. A typical dialogue lasts approximately 2 hours per session and moves through a process of:

• Story-telling
• Problem clarification
• Identification of strategies
• Action steps

What can be the topic?
You can choose the topic that best meets your needs. There are a number of areas where this process can be useful. Some examples of past dialogues we have done:

• Youth-police relations
• Community groups that need assistance with moving from grand ideas to concrete action steps
• Neighborhood groups that wanted to identify ways to better their community
• Church groups looking for consensus on issues
• Schools looking to address teen alcohol and drug use

To apply send us the following information on the topic you would choose for a dialogue by noon on August 25, 2010:

• Tell us something about the group you are working with.
• How big is it?
• What are its goals?
• How would you implement the action steps that might come out of this dialogue?
• Who will do the follow-up?

We will choose a project based on how well it is suited for the dialogue process. The selected organization will be notified by CM Staff no later than September 1, 2010. Please send your proposal to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Susan Spight has been hired as the Assistant to the Executive Director.  Susan’s background has been in the non-profit mental health sector for the last fifteen years as a Development/Community Relations Coordinator at Fellowship Place, Inc., in New Haven, CT, supporting the financial development team and directing public and community relations’ efforts for the organization.  She was the Promotion’s Consultant for a local author in the field of Autism and for a Financial Advisor.  She received her BA degree from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT.  Susan has been certified as a Facilitator through Community Mediation, Inc. She was trained through the Graustein Community Leadership Program of greater New Haven and continues to be an active member of that training cohort.

 

COURT MEDIATOR

Ana Maria Martinez volunteered at Community Mediation, Inc. for five years before being hired as a Court Mediator.  She became certified as a mediator in the fifth grade and later began working with adolescents at the Middle School and High School level in conflict management.  Ana says, “I’ve always been naturally community oriented and Community Mediation has helped me to fulfill a dream to help others.”  Ana attended Southern CT State University studying Business Administration, and she hopes to return to college within the next year to work toward her degree. 

Samuel “Joe” Brummer has been hired as the new Associate Executive Director of Community Mediation, Inc.  Formerly, he was the Assistant Training Director for the Rhode Island Council of Community Mental Health Organizations, Inc., in Cranston, Rhode Island where he did planning, developing, and presenting for training and conferences.  Joe has presented workshops in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Pennsylvania. He has presented on a variety of subjects including conflict, mediation and Nonviolent Communication℠ at Southern Connecticut State University, the University of New Haven, and Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT.  He has presented a pre-conference workshop on Nonviolent Communication ℠ at the Society for Public Health Education’s 60th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, in 2009 and did the presentation Engage, Inspire and Challenge Conference sponsored by the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) and the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC) in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Association for HPERD, Harrisburg, Pa.  Joe volunteered and did consulting at the Community Mediation Center of RI for three years.  He did volunteer mediation and training for two years at Community Mediation, Inc. in New Haven, CT before becoming their Associate Executive Director. 

As of July 1, 2010, Ms. Brenda Cavanaugh has been hired as the new Executive Director of Community Mediation, Inc. Brenda has been the Associate Director since 2007 and has provided strong program and staff leadership during this period of time.  She is originally from Massachusetts, having received a Masters Degree from Wheaton College with a major in history and a minor in education. She has been a High School Special Education teacher for several years, focusing on behavior and emotional disorders. During this time she was trained to set up a peer mediation program in the high school. Brenda was also trained as a mediator in 1997 at the Charlottesville, VA, Community Mediation Center. She worked with the C’ville Community Mediation Center and another nonprofit mediation group – James River Associates – until 2007 having mediated over 200 cases. Brenda set up peer mediation programs and created a conflict resolution workshop at Fluvanna Women’s Prison, facilitated town vision discussions throughout central VA, and was an adjunct Faculty Member at Southern CT State University teaching “Interpersonal Conflict” from 2007 - 2009. Brenda received training through the Graustein Community Leadership Program of greater New Haven and continues to be an active member of that training cohort.

CMI has finally found its way to Facebook and created a fan page.  We hope to use this page to help build our presence in the community.  We ask that you hit the "LIKE" button and share our page with your friends.   Here is a little about us to help spread the word to others:

People contact CM when they want to solve problems with another party through collaborative means and with an impartial third party.  CM staff and volunteers mediate, facilitate, and train individuals and groups to empower them to communicate more effectively and resolve conflicts through methods that foster understanding and win-win agreements. We:

• Empower people to solve their own problems.
• Facilitate dialogues.
• Train citizens in mediation and facilitation skills.
• Offer an alternative to court.
• Train students to resolve their conflicts in school.
• Assist families to stay in their homes or find more affordable places to live. 

Mediation occurs when an impartial third party facilitates communication between people in conflict with the potential of creating a win-win agreement.

Facilitation is when impartial third parties facilitate discussions with large groups holding diverse opinions to create dialogue and understanding and, potentially, action plans to solve community issues.