Services
In a community of almost 1 million people like Edmonton, there are bound to be disagreements. These can lead to conflicts if they are not resolved at an early stage. The Community Conflict Resolution Program is a service that can help you deal with conflict and find ways to resolve it.
"The reality today is that we are all interdependent and have to co-exist on this small planet. Therefore, the only sensible and intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, whether between individuals or nations, is through dialogue. "
- The Dalai Lama
Case Development: A First Step
The MRJC Case Developers are the first point of contact for community members calling about a neighbourhood or community-based dispute. The Case Development team is comprised of conflict resolution specialists who help callers clarify the neighbourhood-based problem they are experiencing and support them to find resolution options.
Common problems that Case Developers work with community members on are fences, overhanging trees, noise, parking, property maintenance, neighbourhood pets and snow removal. If our own mediation or facilitation services are suitable to the situation, the Case Developers will guide callers through the necessary steps to arrange a mediation or facilitation meeting with the other relevant community members.
Case Developers specialize in preparing parties to meet to have the best conversation possible for the problem at hand.
Community Mediation for Neighbours
"The volunteers gave us both a chance to talk - and a chance to listen. My neighbours had their own story to tell and wanted to be heard. If we'd just continued bantering at each other, things would likely have gotten out of hand. We approached MRJC at a stage where the dispute could be fixed."
- Past Community Mediation Client
Description
Our mediation service creates a safe place where neighbours can talk with each other in a way that helps them understand the problem better. Mediators are impartial third parties. They don't take sides or impose solutions, but with their guidance and assistance with communication, parties can explore possible solutions and come to an agreement that works for everyone.
Many people enjoy using mediation as a way to problem-solve their neighbourhood-based problems because:
- It is an opportunity to work through the problem without resorting to back and forth retaliation.
- People involved are given a chance to have a conversation where they feel heard and understood.
- It can prevent a relatively small inter-personal problem from getting worse or escalating and help improve relationships.
- The process occurs much faster than a legal process does.
- People are generally more satisfied with solutions they have agreed upon together, rather than solutions that are imposed by an outside decision-maker.
- Compliance with the terms of the settlement is more likely, since mediation often results in custom-made procedures for how decisions will be carried out.
Multi-party
Our program offers multi-party mediation services for problems that involve many residents or are neighborhood-wide. Our process seeks to identify the key individuals and representatives of the community who can work together through the problems at hand. The goal of the conflict resolution process that is to improve the neighbourhood situation.
Conflict Resolution for Community Groups and Non-Profits
The Community Conflict Resolution Program can provide dialogue facilitation to community-based or non-profit groups in Edmonton such as:
- Community Leagues
- Sports Teams
- Condominium Groups
- Housing Co-ops
- Groups of concerened citizens
Issues managed in the past have been board disputes, greater neighbourhood concerns such as noise or parking, sports team disputes, and community league disputes.
