We met back with the couple, and they have come to an agreement, one that they will test out and evaluate in a short little while. Although they still have their difference, that's okay, and it's great that they were able to work together to try and achieve a common goal. That is the silver lining of these mediations, is that there is a glimmer of hope for their relationship to be better than it was when they came in for mediation the first day. I also love that it doesn't have to do with our abilities as mediators, although it is a factor, but it has more to do with the desire of the people to come together and find solutions together to their problems.
We had another couple come in for mediation, and the same thing seemed to occur, there was a glimmer of hope, that silver lining, even though not EVERYTHING was worked out completely and made anew. Overall, the experience with Centro has been very fulfilling and satisfying for me as a learning mediator. I have enjoyed being able to help the comunidad Latina here in Eugene, because they have a special place in my heart. I hope that the people we meet with can tell that I really care for them and their well-being, and that I sincerely hope that they can leave in a better place than when they came in. Like I said, even though everything isn't perfect, and may never be, there is still that silver lining that keeps me going, to try and be a better mediator and practitioner of conflict resolution.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Following up with help
Obviously I can't go into too many details about mediations that take place at Centro with J (the fellow cohort member) and M (the lawyer volunteering with us), but I am happy to say that I think progress is being made. During the break that we had from the first and second mediation with the parties, they were really trying to make things better. This in and of itself is great, but there is more that goes with it. The couple we were trying to help had some friends that were willing to help as well, and after talking on the phone with their friend for sometime, she thanked us for being willing to help out her friends. I of course thanked her for being willing to help us. This is one of the things that I love most about mediation, is that it more often than not is a collaboration of people that come together for a common goal.
We were also able to meet up as co-mediators and talk about how things went and how we thought the next mediation should start, and where to go from the ending point. This is the debrief of the mediation, to do a reflective evaluation of the mediation and see what we can improve upon, and seek feedback and help from your fellow mediators. It can be very helpful. Something else that I have been enjoying about this process is the spark that has started with a desire to learn more about family mediation. I signed up for a class next term, because I love the idea of trying to help families in any way that I can. Hopefully I am able to help someone, that is why I started studying conflict resolution.
We were also able to meet up as co-mediators and talk about how things went and how we thought the next mediation should start, and where to go from the ending point. This is the debrief of the mediation, to do a reflective evaluation of the mediation and see what we can improve upon, and seek feedback and help from your fellow mediators. It can be very helpful. Something else that I have been enjoying about this process is the spark that has started with a desire to learn more about family mediation. I signed up for a class next term, because I love the idea of trying to help families in any way that I can. Hopefully I am able to help someone, that is why I started studying conflict resolution.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Not too bad...
We had our first official mediation in Spanish at Centro Latinoamericano. We all three met with a couple that has sought services of Centro. Luckily we all three speak Spanish, so the actual translation portion of things was able to be kept to a minimum (which for time sake was probably really beneficial). I personally feel that we were able to leave the mediation on a better foot than what we started on, which is always a good thing... hopefully in the long run the couple feels the same way too. It's also very good to bring three different styles of mediation together and see how you can best work together for the benefit of the parties for whom you are mediating. We set up another appointment with the couple for mid march, so we will see how things go then as well.
On another good note, we met with Community Mediation Services (CMS) and Centro to discuss future work together. We talked about what we envision for Centro and their resource of mediation services for the Latino community. We also talked about training, mentoring and referring of clients from CMS to Centro, when it gets to that point. It was great to see that this is really something that everybody wants, and feels that the community could benefit from immensely. We will continue to work, do research, and collaborate with each other to help the community. Overall, this week was not too bad.
On another good note, we met with Community Mediation Services (CMS) and Centro to discuss future work together. We talked about what we envision for Centro and their resource of mediation services for the Latino community. We also talked about training, mentoring and referring of clients from CMS to Centro, when it gets to that point. It was great to see that this is really something that everybody wants, and feels that the community could benefit from immensely. We will continue to work, do research, and collaborate with each other to help the community. Overall, this week was not too bad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)