Community and Public Mediation Services
with the Resolutions Model

There are many opportunities to use mediation and conflict management skills on problems that impact us at all levels of public and communal life. Sometimes the problems are within the communities themselves; at other times the conflicts are between community groups, government agencies and private organizations. When this happens the actual needs are generally unmet or underserved as the conflict becomes the focus and uses up valuable financial and people resources.

Resolutions has worked on a number of large, multi-party and multi-interest conflicts. The key is to create partnerships within communities to collaborate and solve difficult problems. By harnessing positive energy and reducing adversarial position, the community can work together to meet its need.

"Mediation allows for diversity of groups to work together to solve problems efficiently and effectively.  It significantly reduces decision-making time by reducing adversarial actions and pProvides greater involvement for all stakeholders."

 

Examples of Mediation with Community and Public Disputes Land Use Planning -  mediator/facilitator in multi-party, multi-issue dispute of long standing, in the development use of a large tract of vacant state-owned land. Situation:  A large tract of land, sitting in Boston, was the site of a former state hospital. The razing of the hospital, twenty years ago, acted as a catalyst to bring community members together to form a community action council whose sole purpose was to promote needed development for the site. Twenty years later there had been no further movement and it became increasingly apparent to the state agency holding title that if the land was to be developed then the various interest groups, including the state, the city, legislators, developers and community members would need to approach the problems as collaborators, not adversaries. Mediation: Using a multi-phase approach, all parties were privately interviewed to uncover their true interests. In a series of retreats, the parties were then brought together to develop their partnership and decision-making structure. The Outcome: As a result of the retreats, the parties were able to craft an agreement that has allowed them to finally move forward to articulate the criteria for development.

Also served as a facilitator/consultant for national initiative of Project Safe Neighborhoods.