Community Mediation Working Group – Growing in Resilience
Community Mediation Working Group – Growing in Resilience
The CMC Community Mediation Working Group came together to share inspiring ways mediation is making a difference—from peer mediation in schools to conflict management for at-risk teens. Members also explored strategies for sustainable funding, the power of digital mapping to raise awareness, and the importance of the right case management system. With over 30 attendees, the discussion was rich with ideas, collaboration, and practical takeaways.
REPORT BY VICTORIA HARRIS
With new organisations starting up and existing organisations broadening their work, the community mediation sector continues to grow in resilience. That’s not to minimise the ongoing challenge of finding funding, simply a reflection of the many ways that community mediation services are demonstrating the ability to meet and respond to changing needs.
Last Autumn the group discussed the 2024 summer riots and concluded that while community mediation organisations are not an emergency service, there is much that they can contribute to communities beyond traditional mediation services. Working with the next generation was a key activity.
Last week’s meeting attended by over 30 members, explored the variety of ways that existing organisations are fulfilling this brief. From peer mediation programmes in nursery and primary schools to conflict management programmes delivered to teenagers at risk of exclusion, individuals inspired one another about the work they are doing. How to find funding for these projects was explained and the work that community mediators are conducting by exploring the topic of mediation skills and employability within universities, was also shared.
Our thanks to Ben Harper (Quakers in Britain), Sherril Franklin (Mediation Hertfordshire), Jenny Reid and Lisa Owen (Wandsworth Mediation Service) and Laura Kirkpatrick (Solution Talk) for leading this discussion.
Supporting the resilience of this sector is a key purpose of this platform. Having an effective case management system is a huge benefit to a busy organisation and investing time to find the right one can be a big task for a busy and cash strapped organisation. Again, the group swapped notes about what systems they are using and what they would recommend. Far from being the ‘tumbleweed’ segment feared it was a lively exchange with many suggestions’ forthcoming providing take aways to explore.
Rasing public awareness of community mediation services is another topic uniting this group and digital mapping is the first step. A working group has been set up to look at data collection for this task and our thanks to everyone who has volunteered to take part.
Thank you also to the new Chair of the CMC Community Mediation Working Group, Alice Matthews (Mediation Plus) for supporting this session so well.
For more information about any aspect of the work of the Community Mediation Working Group please contact our Deputy Chief Executive, Victoria Harris via email.
