First Mediation soon!

This was definitely a successful week as we are preparing to get our first clients to come in for mediation this upcoming week. We have two couples that are wanting and willing to come in to give it a try, and hopefully we will be able to help them with any issues that they may have. In my honest opinion, I feel that mediation can almost never hurt, because it is still making a step in the direction of trying to better a relationship. This being the case, I think that mediation is a great opportunity for people to come together and try to work on their problems, with a person (or people) that have been trained in facilitating dialogue. One of the things that I like best about mediation and the process/concept is that the mediator(s) isn't there to resolve the issue for the parties, but rather to help empower the parties to resolve the issue through creative and facilitated conversation or exchange. Obviously this is a simplified explanation and concept of mediation, but the idea at its core is what can really help bring people together.
I know that the parties coming in to Centro this week will be preferring Spanish, so it will be a great opportunity for us (cohort member and myself) to use the skills that we have learned in language and mediation. I am really looking forward to it, and hope that all will work out well. Wish us luck...

Patiently pursueing

Projects are fun, challenging, worthwhile and sometimes require patience as things move forward. While I feel as though we have been making progress and moving in a positive direction, I also recognize that this is a time where we need to wait patiently to see how certain aspects of the project unfold (cases, program development). I have to admit that sometimes I am great with having patience, but with projects and plans I like to see things moving along rapidly (admittedly something that I need to work on). Right now we are waiting to see how some cases are developing to be able to work with mediation for the clients of Centro, and hopefully we will be hearing about the progress shortly. This past week in the internship we were able to meet with one of our teachers, he teachers our mediation skills course, and talk about his work in Central America and mediation. We talked about how some cultures and countries would deal with disputes, some of them being along the lines of a mediative process, and how others were more holistic in nature (standing along the banks of the river and talking, not specifically to any one person). It was very helpful to get his insight and suggestions on places to look for good models and concepts that have incorporated the Latino community and culture into the mediation process. And so, we will continue to patiently pursue the various avenues to make this a successful project.

Coninuing forward...

This week was a good one, just like every other week has been so far. We have been waiting patiently to see if any of the clients at Centro would be interested in Mediation... and we might just have our first one coming up, hopefully. The staff is now aware of what they might look for regarding which cases might benefit from mediation, and they are starting to refer clients on to the resources that are currently in place (me, cohort member J, and local lawyer M). While I was en camino (en route) to meet up with my fellow cohort member, I received a call from a contact at Community Mediation Services (CMS). She informed me that she had received my email and was hoping to move forward with the project, and that she was willing to help makes things work for Centro. I pulled the car over, seeing as it was hard to talk and drive a manual car, and we chatted for a few minutes. We came up with some ideas, which I then brought up in my meeting with J (cohort member). We talked about some more opportunities that we might have, as well as what our next steps might be to move forward. We have some good ideas, and hopefully they all start to fall into place. I am hopeful that as we continue forward, the thing that need to fall into place will. Maybe that is just the naive faith that I typically have, or the solid foundational faith that has cause things to always work out the way they are supposed to; either way, I still have faith moving forward.

Collaborating

It is always a great thing when people begin to collaborate and work together toward a common goal. This week we met together to discuss the various ways that we could get the ball rolling on the mediation resource project. We (fellow cohort member and myself) met with another grad student on campus who helped us in understanding our possibilities with grants and the seeking of funds for such a project. It was very helpful and informative. We then decided on a couple of foundations to look into and we will see where things go (hopefully on the up and up). We also met with a local lawyer/mediator who will be volunteering time at Centro with us to offer mediation resources for the Latino community. It was good to be able to see the various styles that we all have with mediation and the many skills that we bring. Once we all were able to get on the same page (which wasn't all that difficult), we met with Centro and staff to discuss the opportunities that mediation can give to their clients, and how they can help understand what cases might be good, and which ones may not be the right fit, for mediation. Overall, this week was pretty successful with everybody collaborating to make a great resource available for the Latino community here in Eugene.