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Washington, DC 20011
Fax: (202) 545-8873
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Community Mediation Documentary Film Available!!!
Narrated by actor Sam Waterston, this film profiles three community mediation programs (all NAFCM members themselves) and a representative case from each.
About the Visionaries Documentary
In part one of this two-part special, The Visionaries explores a growing movement in the United States, known as Community Mediation. We focus on the Washington, DC organization, The National Association for Community Mediation. This umbrella organization provides support, training materials and a national voice to its more than 200 members nationwide. In this episode, we see how Community Mediation Centers are dealing with issues of crime, violence and race, and are changing the face of the communities we live in. First we travel to Asheville, North Carolina, where we see first-hand how an organization called The Mediation Center works with juvenile offenders. We hear the story of two young boys, who are playing a dangerous game with BB guns that gets out of control. Before they know what happens, they have shot out a local store's windows, and find themselves at the police department. While they could have ended up in juvenile hall, the young men make retribution for their crime through a process known as Victim Offender Mediation. We see how the experience transforms the boys, as they take responsibility for their actions. Next, we travel to Tallahassee, Florida. There, we witness how The Neighborhood Justice Center works to quell racial tensions in its community. Through a slow and often painful process, the mediators begin a dialogue into one of the most divisive issues facing our country today, and help to mend some of the strained relationships in the community.
In the second of this two-part special, The Visionaries travel to rural New Mexico. It is an area that projects a sense of peace and serenity with its beautiful landscapes and lush forests. But just beneath the surface this area is facing a controversy that is turning neighbor against neighbor, in a bitter battle over the very land itself. In Catron County, New Mexico, we hear the story of how ranchers, environmentalists, the timber industry and the forest service are at odds over how to manage the land. For generations, ranchers and the timber industry have lived off the resources of the land. But federal regulations and a growing environmental movement are putting more and more limits on the western way of life. We watch as the tension mounts in this small community to the point that people no longer feel safe in their homes. With so many parties in conflict, trained mediators have a difficult job ahead of them. We watch as mediators take on the difficult job of getting people to once again talk to each other, and slowly begin to resolve some of the many complex issues that are tearing their community apart.
To learn more about The Visionaries, a Public Television Series, please click the following link: http://www.visionaries.org/
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