Investing in Community Mediation

Every community – large or small, urban, suburban or rural – experiences conflict.  Disputes between neighbors, family members or community groups, often triggered by competing interests, values and points of view, can lead to breakdowns in communication and trust.

Community mediation provides a safe place for addressing these conflicts by empowering those involved to fashion their own solutions to meet the needs of all concerned.

With the help of trained, mostly volunteer mediators, parties are able to tell their own stories while also gaining a better understanding of the other’s perspective.  The agreements they make are more durable because the parties themselves have had a hand in shaping them.

Community mediation centers across the country are on the front lines of conflict in their localities, yet most are chronically underfunded.  With their deep commitment to neutrality and mutual respect for all, their work is vital to health of the communities they serve and to the strength of our social fabric, and they deserve our support.