March 2022 Mediator's Break

Mediator's Break

Monthly news & updates

March, 2022

EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS TO KEEP TABS ON!

The Process is Your Friend Workshop

We are very excited to welcome Debbie Fish back to host our first workshop of the new year! Debbie will be presenting The Process is Your Friend, a two-hour interactive advanced skill-building workshop for mediators and conciliators. The Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and will be held remotely, with the possibility of limited in-person participation, space permitting.

Please watch your inbox for additional details and registration information.

If you haven't already, email Ella to reserve your spot!

Barnstable County Bar Association Weekly Newsletter

The Barnstable County Bar Association has a rich tradition of serving the legal profession and the public on Cape Cod.

The Association aims to further the principles of good citizenship and good government and to encourage and facilitate communication among the Barnstable County legal community. We encourage you to check out their Newsletter, The Barrister, which includes local legal news, events of interest to the legal community, job opportunities, and more.

Challenges and Best Practices in

Remote Mediation Workshop - this April!

We're thrilled to be offering a Remote Mediation Workshop in April. This Workshop, hosted by Elizabeth Marcus, a mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Boston, will focus on the ins and outs of mediating remotely and will spotlight tips, best practices, and things to avoid in a remote setting.

The sign-up form (linked below) asks for your input regarding what you want Elizabeth to cover -- we want the Workshop to be tailored to address challenges you run into when mediation remotely!

Please take a few moments to brainstorm challenges you feel are unique to the remote mediation process and share them with us in the form. Some thoughts we had to get your brainstorming wheels turning were: gauging competency in a remote setting, managing time conflicts and time crunches that arise during the mediation for parties or their attorneys, and identifying situations when continuing a mediation to another session might be beneficial.

The Workshop will be held on Thursday, April 21st, from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Please email Ella if you have any questions.

Click on the button below to sign up!

Click Here to Sign Up

Donate to Cape Mediation with Amazon Smile

We're on Amazon Smile if you'd like to make donations at no cost to you - just follow this link and for every purchase you make on Amazon, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price to Cape Mediation. It may not seem like much, but it all adds up!

Want to stay in touch on a platform that isn't email? Follow us on Instagram or Facebook where you'll find up-to-date information, workshop and training announcements, and more!

Women's History Month Women in Dispute Resolution

March is Women’s History Month, so we wanted to celebrate our community of volunteers who help make Cape Mediation an inclusive and gender-balanced provider of dispute resolution services on the Cape.

These women play diverse roles for us – mediators, conciliators, trainers, and coordinators – and we are so grateful for all of you.

Worldwide, from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) to the ABA’s House of Delegates Resolution 105 encouraging the selection and use of diverse neutrals, there has been an increasingly active dialogue that is helping change the quantitative and qualitative role of females in the dispute resolution field.

Closer to home, here are a few highlights from our Remote Training Interviews, featuring women who have been integral to Cape Mediation’s successes over the years.

Jane Lea, a mediator for 10 years, described mediation as a humanizing process built on mutual trust which focuses on collaboration and gives the parties an opportunity to come up with a creative solution to a dispute.

Janie Culbert describes mediators as a facilitators whose main job is help parties believe that they have the right and the ability to come to their own solutions.

Susan Carroll, noted that she spent a half hour preparing for this interview to focus on what she believed was most important for her to share – just like we ask mediating parties to identify what is most important to them. Thanks, Susan, for the reminder that mediation tools are useful in our daily lives!

As we head into March, we’d like to send our appreciation and thanks to these three women and to all our mediators and conciliators who have contributed – and continue to contribute to – gender equality in the dispute resolution field.

Lawyers as Peacemakers. Really?!? Yes, Really.

We recently saw a social media post exclaiming “getting pretty tired of living through historical events!”…and we couldn’t agree more. With all the uncertainty and its surrounding tension in the world, we encourage you to check out David Hoffman’s TED Talk titled “Lawyers as Peacemakers. Really?!? Yes, Really.,” an encouraging and positive call to action to be peacemakers.

Hoffman, a self-proclaimed woodworking hippy turned litigator turned mediator, is a widely respected mediator in Boston. In his TED Talk, he shares his journey from being a full time litigator to becoming what he coins a “peacemaker,” focusing solely on mediation and collaborative law. He speaks passionately about the benefits of mediation and reminds us that, in our journey as peacemakers, we should remember to thread in social justice actions along the way.

The book, Lawyers as Peacemakers, written by J. Kim Wright and published by the American Bar Association, that Hoffman references in the talk, is linked here.

JOIN OUR DISCUSSION & DEBRIEF

ON THURSDAY AFTERNOONS

With our The Process is Your Friend Workshop coming up this month, there's no time like the present to join a Discussion & Debrief to either reconnect with the mechanics of our process or to share recent experiences of how our training applies to real life situations!

For those of you who like to plan ahead, debrief dates scheduled for March will be on the 10th and 24th.

We make every effort to hold the Discussion & Debriefs on days and times that work for all our active volunteers. But, in all our years of hosting these Debriefs, we have yet to find a time that accommodates everyone's schedules.

So, we'd like your thoughts on staggering the Debrief day or time. The first Debrief of the month would be held on the second Thursday afternoon of the month (just as it is now), and the second Debrief of the month would be held on a different day of the week or time of day. Please email Ella if you have an opinion on this proposition!

We're gearing up to launch our

Remote Training Program!

We had a great time recording Role Play Demos to be used in our newly developed Remote Training Program. Our team has been working tirelessly on the Program, and we're eager to share it with you.

To learn more or to submit a Training Inquiry, visit our website.

SUPPORT CAPE MEDIATION

Your donations help us continue to provide high quality dispute resolution services to our community. For a small organization like Cape Mediation, the cliche "every dollar counts" holds true.

Support Cape Mediation

MEET THE BOARD

Cape Mediation has welcomed several new members to the board this year. We have asked each of them to share a little about themselves each month in our newsletter. This month, we would like to introduce you to Maryellen Loucks.

Maryellen Loucks

It is hard to believe I am not a native Cape Coder. I have lived here since 1988, but it does feel like forever. Originally from Upstate New York, my family and I visited Cape Cod every summer. I graduated from Salve Regina College (now University) with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and moved to Boston to begin my career at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. I never dreamt 3 months into my new job, my patient would become my husband! Moving to the Cape, two years after our Marriage, we never looked back. I have had the privilege of several vocations: daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and nurse.

I have always had a strong Spirit for doing what’s right. I love Max Lucado’s quote:” Conflict is Inevitable, but combat is optional.” This essence has sometimes sidelined me, in work situations and life, when others didn’t necessarily agree with this philosophy. It has led me to be more introspective, intentional and Spiritual. These qualities have prompted me to become certified in Gerontology, Faith Community Nursing and most recently in Spirituality, Health and Healing.

The world I wish to live in is a little quieter, a little kinder, and people are a bit more tolerant of each other’s differences. I attended a Cape Mediation in-service training thru a former job, and its tenants stuck with me. I look forward to serving on the Cape Mediation Board.

THE BOARD'S CORNER

At the February Meeting the Board discussed various corporate matters including tax filings and conflict of interest policies. The Board also reviewed staffing and programs status. The Board heard from Robin Reid on the Basic Mediation Training beta launch set for March; and from Anne regarding the status of grants and other funding which seems solid.

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Internet connectivity has become essential to our lives, so much so that it is considered by some to be a basic human right. We need the internet to attend school, hold down a job, and to appear at a court hearing. However, internet connectivity is out of reach for many people because of its high cost. According to Wired Magazine, the 2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicates that "as a proportion of household income, the lowest earners spent four times more on phones than high earners." Simply put, not everyone has equal access to the internet.

Although some communities offer free Wi-Fi, it is not available Cape-wide. And though many cafes and libraries offer free Wi-Fi, this comes with the sacrifice of privacy. Until internet and the technology needed to access connectivity is available to everyone, we need to be more creative to be sure no one is left behind. At Cape Mediation we have developed programs to make sure that our remote services are accessible to as many folks in our community as possible, even to those without access to technology and connectivity. Our staff, coordinators, and volunteers go the extra mile everyday working with each person that contacts our office. Modern technology and connectivity has opened the world for many, but until access to technology is available to everyone, we all need to do our part. To read Wired's 'Smartphones are a New Tax on the Poor' click here.

MARCH 2022

Cape Mediation Discussion & Debriefs are

offered on Thursday afternoons at 4:00 PM.

Thursday, March 3, 2022, 4:00 PM - Coaching Workshop.

This Coaching Workshop is for for volunteers who have signed up to coach role plays during our Remote Mediation Training sessions.

Thursday, March 10, 2022, 4:00 PM - Discussion & Debrief for Mediators and Conciliators. Whether you are an active remote mediator or conciliator, want to keep your skills sharp, or want to learn more about the remote process please join us. Contact us to join the discussion or look for the notice in your inbox.

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM - The Process is Your Friend Workshop.

A two-hour interactive advanced skill-building workshop for mediators and conciliators, led by Debbie Fish. The Workshop will be will be held remotely, with the possibility of limited in-person participation, space permitting. If you haven't already, email Ella to reserve your spot.

Thursday, March 24, 2022, 4:00 PM - Discussion & Debrief for Mediators and Conciliators. Whether you are an active remote mediator or conciliator, want to keep your skills sharp, or want to learn more about the remote process please join us. Contact us to join the discussion or look for the notice in your inbox.

VOLUNTEER AVAILABILITY FOR MARCH

If you have not already signed-up, please send us your available volunteer dates by clicking the button below. We offer mediations and conciliations remotely Tuesdays through Fridays.

If you have not mediated or conciliated remotely, consider giving it a try. We will pair you with an experienced remote volunteer and we are sure once you try it, you'll like it!

MY MARCH AVAILABILITY DATES

THE PROCESS IS YOUR FRIEND WORKSHOP

We are very excited to welcome Debbie Fish back to host our first workshop of the new year! Debbie will be presenting "The Process is Your Friend," a two-hour interactive advanced skill-building workshop for mediators and conciliators. The Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, March 24, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and will be held remotely, with the possibility of limited in-person participation, space permitting.

Watch your inbox for additional details and registration information.

If you haven't already, email Ella to reserve your spot!

WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL VIRTUAL: STORM BOY

The Woods Hole Film Festival is offering a virtual screening of the film Storm Boy. Viewing of the virtual screening is available from Thursday March 3 - Sunday March 6, and tickets can be purchased through the Film Festival's website at https://www.goelevent.com/WoodsHoleFilmFest/e/WHFFVirtualStormBoy

YOU CAN NOW SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST FOR

MEDIATION OR CONCILIATION SERVICES ONLINE

Submitting a request to schedule a Mediation or Conciliation is now easier than ever, just visit our website at CapeMediation.org and fill out a Request for Services form. After we receive your request, one of our experienced case coordinators will contact you to learn more.

You may also reach us by phone at 508-240-1717 or by email.

BOOKS & BEYOND

As American poet Nancy Willard said, "sometimes questions are more important than answers." As mediators and conciliators, we know that sometimes asking the right question (or the same question in a new format) can be a key tool in dispute resolution. If you want to read more about the force of questions, check out this Harvard Business Review article, The Surprising Power of Questions.

In addition to asking questions, as mediators, we also need to actively listen to the answer. We found this concept of generous listening intriguing. The term was coined by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen and was developed from her work with patients dealing with pain and trauma - but seems much more broadly applicable to our daily lives. Check out this brief video on this unique form of listening.

We've had some recent mediations that have involved interpreters, which got us interested in scholarly research about the importance of interpretation in mediation and if, and how, it impacts the mediation session. Check out this paper from the Columbia Law School Scholarship Archive, The Role of Language Interpretation in Providing a Quality Mediation Process to explore this complex topic.

Have you read any good books or online articles lately? Do you have a favorite book or article on Dispute Resolution? If so, please contact us and we'll share it in the next issue of Mediator's Break.

Please visit CAPEMEDIATION.ORG for up-to-date information, current job openings and more!

INTERESTED IN BECOMING MORE INVOLVED?

If you are interested in becoming more involved in any of our programs, please reach out!

Additionally, if you are interested in volunteering in our Remote Dispute Resolution programs, but are unsure about the process or technology, we want to help! We will schedule you for to observe or pair you with someone with experience in telephone and videoconferencing to help. Contact us.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION ON CAPE MEDIATION'S GOOGLE GROUPS DISCUSSION BOARD!

We invite you to join our virtual Dispute Resolution email discussion group where we share information about job opportunities, news and articles about the world of Dispute Resolution with the volunteers, mediators, conciliators and staff at Cape Mediation. This group is open to all Cape Mediation staff and volunteers. If you have not already joined, please contact us to join.

Not Receiving Our Email Notices?

We send out notices during the month including our monthly volunteer sign-up sheet and workshop updates, and we share other news and information that arises. If you are not receiving these emails, try checking your Email Promotions and Spam settings. If that doesn't do the trick, let us know, so we can be sure you are on the right lists. Contact us.