free Mediation Services with CMCS Calgary
Building peaceful COMMUNITIES
Everyone experiences situations differently and sometimes people act in ways that can be confusing for others to understand. Life in community involves coming face-to-face with these differences and sometimes it creates conflict. That’s where we come in. Whether you’re an individual in a personal conflict, an organization looking to participate in a workshop, or a community group looking for an impartial third party to provide communication resources, we have effective, accessible, and free services to help you.
“A note to let you know that things are going well. The dog hasn’t stopped barking at passersby but in the last couple of days she has not barked at me as I go through the gate. She eyes me with suspicion but that will hopefully get better. Credit for this goes to my neighbour. He contacts us daily to come to the gate and we visit while his dog looks on. I have come to know and admire this young man for his views of the world and his dedication to this project.” – Post Mediation Comment: March 2016
Mediation
Dispute resolution between two or more parties
Our volunteer trained mediators assist individuals in a dispute to identify the issues to be resolved and create a safe space for the parties to discuss their perspectives and interests. After sharing, the mediator involves the parties in a brainstorming activity to help them develop positive and collaborative solutions for resolving their conflict.
Conflict Assistance Meetings (CAMS)
Individual Skill Building for managing conflict
Conflict Assistance Meetings are like mediation for one. It’s a process where our mediators help you think about and explore the situation, you’re in, to understand it better.
The challenge in a CAM is to not only see the situation from your perspective, but also from the other party’s perspective. There are multiple sides to any dispute and through a CAM you will be asked to think about those possibilities. This process will help you create some ideas and options about what you’d like to do to manage the conflict going forward. For every question we ask you about yourself—like “What’s the impact of this conflict on you and your family?”—we will also ask you to answer the same question for the person on the other side.
Our mediators are neutral and impartial and that means we absolutely do not give you advice of any kind—legal or otherwise. Your role is just to work with us, think carefully about the questions we ask, and be prepared for what can be a challenging conversation.
If you think this would be a useful service, then we can start the process of scheduling. We book one-to-two-hour sessions on zoom or in person.
Workshops
teaching conflict resolution skills and understanding
CMCS provides workshops which can be given in isolation or in a variety of combinations to meet your organization’s needs. Each workshop highlights one or more skill or concept used by our mediators and facilitators in their professional practice. Workshops are approximately 90 minutes and cost $100/workshop (based on 20 participants). We are actively developing our workshop can offer most workshops both online and in person.
Workshop Topics Include:
Difficult conversations
Conflict Habits
Becoming a better listener
Strategies for staying curious
How to approach conflict with empathy
External supports to help manage conflict
FACILITATION
facilitating group meEtings and Board meetings
Within community groups there are often a variety of opinions that need to be expressed and multiple options to be explored. Our volunteer trained mediators model and provide skills to assist groups in creating a collaborative meeting environment. We help groups manage public meetings, build understanding, and foster constructive communication. We are a valuable resource when you need an impartial third party to help your group or sub-group to conduct respectful conversations.
