Research on Victim Offender Mediators

NAFCM is pleased to promote a new research project evaluating victim offender mediators' perspectives on justice. Entitled "Justice Attitudes and Motivations of Victim-Offender Mediation Facilitators," this project, undertaken by Assistant Professor Greg Paul, Ph.D. from the Department of Communication & Theater at Millersville University, will compare mediators' concepts of justice with those held by the general public.

Professor Paul is seeking victim offender mediators to participate in a short online survey to further this research. 

After his research concludes, Professor Paul has graciously agreed to share his findings with NAFCM for distribution to interested community mediation/VOM/VORP programs. 

Read Professor Paul's short description of the project:

Victim-offender mediation programs invest significant resources in training volunteers to effectively manage victim-offender meetings. Are those trainings effective? Why do people volunteer to become mediators in the first place? The purpose of this research project is to explore how facilitators’ justice attitudes compare with those of the public at large, as well as to understand why facilitators volunteer for victim-offender mediation programs. 

This confidential online survey is open to all volunteer facilitators of victim-offender mediation/reconciliation programs. In return for participation, a $2 donation will be made to the participant’s VOM / VORP organization for the first 200 participants who complete the questionnaire. Additionally, every VOM organization whose volunteers complete the survey will receive general and organization-specific summaries of responses. 

If you have any questions, please email Dr. Greg Paul. To participate, please forward the following link to your volunteer facilitators: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/283C5WL

Thank you for supporting important community mediation research!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM

Community Mediation Webinar Series

Advanced Community Mediation Trainings, 

Direct to You!

Community mediation program administrators are some of the hardest working professionals in our field. Every day they undertake the seemingly Sisyphean task of nurturing and embedding greater conflict competence within their diverse communities. Many programs do so understaffed and on significantly under-supported budgets. And yet, despite substantial hurdles along the way, these professionals and their dedicated volunteers accomplish wonderful victories for peace one renewed relationship, one enhanced local policy, and one empowered neighbor at a time.

Unfortunately, given the variably affronted and repeatedly attenuated budgets as of late, community mediation programs have increasingly fewer resources to reinvest in their staffs' professional development. Juxtapose this with nearly two decades of commentary detailing the overworked, overstressed nature of community mediation administration, along with more recent research noting marked increases in specialized service demand at such programs, and the need for accessible, affordable training is not only necessary for current administrators' professional development, but also core to the very advancement of our field.

Continuing its tenured role as an advocate for and innovator within our field, NAFCM is excited to announce the initial stages of its new Community Mediation Webinar Series! This exciting new Series is designed to specifically answer the demands facing those programs seeking to responsibly and smartly invest in their administrators' continued development. Using intuitive technology, this Webinar Series will bring valuable trainings directly to program staff - eliminating the expenses and downtime associated with traditional out-of-the-office conferences and training sessions. It will extend and compliment NAFCM's successful Teleseminar Series, Regional Training Institutes, and other efforts that regularly and widely share fresh material to community mediators and program administrators.

Share Your Expertise: Call For Proposals

Not limited to merely conveying packaged trainings, NAFCM wants to incorporate your unique expertise into the Webinar Series. We're looking for program administrators who have a special skill set, programmatic focus, or well-earned wisdom they're willing to share with colleagues. Through August, we will be accepting topic proposals to be included in this exciting new Series. Take a look at our Webinar Series Request for Proposals and consider what you can share with the field. When you're ready to propose a topic, complete this simple Proposal Form.

Webinar topic proposals must be received by Wednesday, August 31st.  Soon thereafter we look forward to revealing additional Series details, including our initial schedule of informative webinar trainings!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM

Community Mediation Program Map

Community Mediation Does Amazing Work. NAFCM Promotes It!

With over 400 community mediation programs operating throughout North America, these programs make a real difference every day. As a field, we have a lot to be proud of. With all these programs' regularly updating services and contact information, NAFCM has a lot for us to stay on top of.

NAFCM strives to maintain a complete, accurate list of all community mediation programs available to assist those in conflict. To make this list accessible to those in need, we've made it freely available on NAFCM's website as an interactive online map.

Each month, this map is accessed thousands of times by those in conflict seeking nearby assistance. It helps families locate programs to help with parent/teen mediations. It helps neighbors find more constructive options than relying upon code enforcement to encourage neighborly behavior. It helps local organizational leaders find a skilled facilitator for a difficult upcoming meeting. This map connects people facing all manner of conflicts to an entire field that's prepared, ready, and willing to help. We encourage anyone confronted with a particularly difficult situation to explore this online map and contact a nearby community mediation center to discover which services may be available for you.

We also encourage our colleagues throughout the field to regularly review and update the contact information contained on this map to ensure the public continues to have the best possible resource when called upon. Help NAFCM ensure it has your program's most accurate contact information. Confirm and, if necessary, update the details of your program. (Lend a hand by updating a neighboring program's info, as well!)

We're proud of the incredible work performed throughout the community mediation network. And we're very pleased to help make their work more accessible via the Community Mediation Program Map.

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM

Fund Development Teleseminar

Teleseminar on

Fund Development for Community Mediation Centers

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

1:00 to 2:30 pm EDT

Cost: FREE!

Co-Sponsors: NAFCM & the ACR Community Section

Back by popular demand, this one and a half hour teleseminar will provide a broad overview of funding sources available to nonprofit mediation centers. The information provided will be general in nature. All participants will receive a helpful 24-page fund development handbook and have an opportunity to participate in an interactive Q&A component following the formal presentation.

The following topics will be covered in the teleseminar:

1. The essentials of development planning;
2. The seven sources of money available to any organization;
3. Overview of government funding sources;
4. Funds from foundations;
5. Fees for service;
6. Funds from individuals; and
7. Marketing, public relations, and fundraising.

Speaker: Karmit Bulman is an attorney, qualified neutral under Rule 114, and has been the director of non-profit organizations for 25 years. She was a managing attorney for legal services and served as executive director for the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women, Avenues for Homeless Youth and Temple Israel. Ms. Bulman is currently the executive director of the Conflict Resolution Center (CRC) in Minneapolis, and is responsible for financial management, program development, public and community relations, fund raising and oversight of CRC operations. CRC is a community-based, non-profit organization formed in 1981 for the purpose of strengthening communities by teaching and providing mediation and conflict resolution services. Karmit is also the newly elected Vice Chair of the NAFCM Board of Directors and member of the ACR Community Section Leadership Team.

To ensure there is an opportunity for all those on the call to participate, we may be limiting the number of registrations accepted for this event.  Complete your registration today! 

Call-in instructions and teleseminar handouts will be emailed to registrants on Friday, July 22nd.

We look forward to hearing you on the call!

In community,
Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM

The State of Community Mediation: 2011

Complete the 2011 Survey & Receive a FREE Copy!

In 2004, NAFCM published "The State of Community Mediation." Still today, this is one of our most popular publications. It contains critical data outlining the shape and scope of the entire community mediation field. Programs administrators across the country have used this publication to better understand how their program fits into the broader movement, to identify creative new ideas, and to source key data in support of fund and program development. Put simply, it is one of the most accessible, thorough, and illustrative publications on community mediation currently available.

Now, NAFCM is completely revising this landmark publication! With the generous and dedicated support of the JAMS Foundation, NAFCM is preparing: "The State of Community Mediation: 2011 Report."  This new publication will build upon the data and analysis in the 2004 report and highlight changes throughout our field since the original publication's debut. 

The new data and analysis will provide program administrators with the most up-to-date statistics and helpful examples of how our field currently operates. Including categories on program design, finances, operations, outcomes, services, staffing, and volunteers, the revised 2011 Report will contain a trove of new information and insights.

As we ready this publication, we are currently seeking wide participation in the 2011 Report's key survey. We invite all community mediation programs to complete the 2011 Survey to ensure your experiences are not overlooked. In appreciation for your time, we are offering a FREE digital copy of "The State of Community Mediation: 2011 Report" to all programs that complete the 2011 Survey by the end of Friday, July 15th. (Limit one copy per program.)

We look forward to reviewing your contributions and thank you for being such an important part of our community!

In community,

Justin R. Corbett

Executive Director, NAFCM