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First Meeting of the Peer Mediation Working Group

First Meeting of the Peer Mediation Working Group

  REPORT BY VICTORIA HARRIS

The CMC’s new Peer Mediation Working Group, led by Ellis Brooks, has started off with a great start. The delegates shared their objectives for the new CMC Working Group, with a focus on supporting the growth of Peer Mediation to change how society approaches conflict. The Group identified key areas of focus, shared resources and discussed setting up new initiatives. The next meeting will feature a presentation from Frederick Way, Foundation Director at CEDR, on their new ‘Skills for Life’ programme.

Our new Peer Mediation Working Group chaired by Ellis Brooks got off to a flying start on the 28 February with practitioners from a wide geographical area sharing their objectives for this new CMC Working Group.

Since integration with the Peer Mediator Network, the Civil Mediation Council are the platform for Peer Mediation in England and Wales and seek to support the growth of this area of mediation to bring about a real culture change in how we as a society approach conflict.

The Group identified five areas for future focus to include; Promotion;  Research and Influencing; Fundraising; Standards/Quality Assurance and Youth Engagement and Inclusion.

Actions from the meeting include attendance at education conferences, publication of articles in educational supplements and youth engagement at future meetings.

At the meeting delegates were able to seek support from experienced practitioners for the set-up of new Peer Mediation initiatives in their local area and post the meeting resources were shared by experienced peer mediation trainers to enable new enterprises to make a start.

The Group also looked at geographical gaps in provision of Peer Mediation across England and Wales. A discussion took place about how those gaps could be bridged to include hearing from delegates who had successfully created online programmes that had been delivered remotely during the Pandemic.

Our Programme Manager Victoria Harris outlined how the CMC could help support practitioners with fundraising bids, the promotion of their work and suggested partnering with researchers from the new CMC Academic Forum to help evaluate impact.

The next meeting will take place on the 9 May 2pm – 4.30pm.  The meeting will be part skills share and part strategic development.  We are fortunate to have secured the attendance of Frederick Way, Foundation Director at CEDR to present on CEDR’s new ‘Skills for Life’ programme that is aimed at 18-25 year olds.

If you are interested to become part of the vibrant CMC Peer Mediation Working Group please contact Victoria Harris for more information.

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