Updates - April 2008:

This announcement is a very exciting one from NAFCM’s Reservist Reintegration and Transitions Program (RRTP). We are pleased to announce that we have recently finished conducting the first round of our military mediation training with great success and warm response!!!

The basic mediation course was held in collaboration with the Cleveland Mediation Center (www.clevelandmediation.org) Cleveland, Ohio, from March 27^th - 29^th, and the advanced portion was held on April 11^th and 12^th at the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando, with the collaboration of the Center for Community Dispute Settlement, Inc.

The RRTP curricula trained approximately 30 participants in basic and advanced mediation skills under the Transformative approach, focusing on conflicts related to military-civilian reintegration and transition. The participants came from all walks, including members of the National Guard, Active military and Coast Guard, military-family members, Vet Center staff members, civilian contractors, local community leaders, and mediators.

NAFCM would like to extend a sincere thank you to all who made this first round of training possible, including a special thanks to Dan Joyce and Ed Boyte of the Cleveland Mediation Center, and to Patti Farris at UCF, and Wayne Smith of the Center for Community Dispute Settlement, Inc. in Orlando.

And of course, we would like to salute all our wonderful trainees for their dedication, contributions and commitment not only to learn more about working with military personnel and families in conflict, but for taking the message and their skills beyond the classroom to help the program grow. Thank you again!

Comments from Participant Evaluations:

“Absolutely informative and insightful! The process was very beneficial and relative to [military] life occurrences that will be present in mediation”

“Important topic (community to be served), informative, challenging”

“Educational, informative and satisfactory... Instructors were excellently prepared… time flew by and lots of knowledge was gained, both new and enhanced.”

“I would love another training session because of the vastness of information. I’m ready to go get it!”

Upcoming Opportunities

The second round of free mediation training, both basic and advanced, is fast approaching! NAFCM will be holding back-to-back basic and advanced trainings during the first week of June at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.* This training coincides with the Minority Professionals in ADR Conference, also held at Capital University Law School.

Schedule:

June 2, 3 & 4 – RRTP Basic Mediation Training

June 5 & 6 – RRTP Advanced Mediation Training

*The official training announcement and application instructions will be released by May 1, 2008.

Interested in learning more?

Please contact Jared Ordway at (202) 545-8866, or email the RRTP Program Manager – jordway@nafcm.org.

For Donors

If you or someone you know (individual or foundation) is interested in learning more about supporting healthy transitions of military personnel, their families, civilian employers, and communities, please contact Irvin Foster, NAFCM Executive Director, at (202) 545-8866 or via email at ifoster@nafcm.org.

Updates from March 2008:
Last week NAFCM met with many community mediation representatives from across the state of Massachusetts who are currently and actively providing individual and family services for veterans in transition. We are looking forward to collaborating with them as we move into the coming months.

On February 29^th NAFCM will be in Cleveland laying out some of the plans for the first mediation training and presenting and holding an information booth the next day at Cuyahoga Community College’s Winter Resource Carnival for Military Families in Transition.

We will be providing the first targeted conflict resolution skills training for members of the National Guard, the Reserves and Military families in transition on March 27, 28, and 29 in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information on this training please contact me, Jared Ordway at jordway@nafcm.org or by phone at 202-545-8866. 

Please do not hesitate to send information on upcoming conferences, questions, discussion points, or anything that you feel is relevant to this listserv.