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on community boards | on our neighborhood mediation program
on the basics of mediation | on peer mediation
ON COMMUNITY BOARDS
"Community Boards is an established tradition in San Francisco. They have touched every neighborhood in the City with early intervention and alternatives to solving conflicts. By providing a forum for all residents, Community Boards has developed a unique, culturally sensitive and effective peacemaking forum. We have all benefited from their presence. - The Very Reverend Alan Jones, Grace Cathedral
“Community Boards has assisted our mission by providing training for people serving Bayview Hunter's Point...Episodes of violence here making these trainings invaluable for any providers who live and work here...Our experience with them is that they provide a responsive, culturally sensitive and skilled referral service." - Senior Family Advocate, Bayview Hunter's Point Family Resource Center
“Depending on the factors that change and challenge our City -- economically, politically, socially -- we find that our problems also change. Community Boards, being a fixture in San Francisco for years, knows how to change and responds adeptly to these challenges. From the very personal neighbor-to-neighbor to more public issues, Community Boards responds to all conflicts as an avenue for peaceful resolution." - Executive Director, Centro de Recursos Centroamericanos
“The ease at which a simple dispute can erupt into violence underscores the value of Community Boards' early intervention and the easy access to its services." - Executive Director, S.A.F.E.
“Community Boards' work continues to be a catalyst for initiatives that address volatiIe urban/civic tensions in San Francisco and other communities throughout the nation. Their efforts promote San Francisco's reputation for developing community-oriented services by providing prevention and early intervention conflict resolution programs, while maintaining a strong relationship with the highly diverse community that it serves. - Conciliation Specialist, Community Relations Service, U.S. Department of Justice
ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEDIATION PROGRAM
“I wish we had called Community Boards sooner. For months, we yelled, "lost" phone messages, got and gave the silent treatment, slammed doors! Your mediators helped us talk things through, calmly and respectfully. After only two hours we reached an agreement! Thanks!" - Three roommates, Mission District
“No one in the new family upstairs spoke very good English. We tried to talk to them about the noise coming through our ceiling, but they didn't understand. Having a Spanish-speaking mediator made all the difference. Our mediation really helped. They bought rugs, and now we have our quiet home back!" - Two families, North Beach
“We're always getting calls where people want us to settle a personal dispute. People treat us as marriage counselors, family therapists, referees or judges. I've made numerous referrals to Community Boards, giving folks your little card for problems where no law has been broken, but when we've been dispatched." - Police officer, Tenderloin
“As a property manager, I've referred tenants who have problems with other tenants to Community Boards. I'm happy to help them when I can, but you've certainly made my job a lot easier. Thanks!" - Property manager, Excelsior District
“I was very impressed with the bilingual translator who spoke Chinese at my mediation. He did more than just translate. Now I've got a better understanding of the different values between me and my neighbors. There was more to our problem than just loud music. - Homeowner, Inner Richmond
ON THE BASICS OF MEDIATION
Here's what our alumni have said...
“I valued the diversity of the participants (from all walks of life), the focus on community empowerment, and the comfortable and encouraging learning environment you provided. It’s nice to be reassured that “we all make mistakes,” though I hope I never make any!”
“Thank you for accommodating me and making the classes as accessible as possible. You were all terrific. I felt very supported and encouraged. The combination of being partially blind, partially hearing impaired and learning new material is always a challenge. You all get gold stars!”
“Your training was so wonderful! For instance, when we learned and practiced active listening, we used real life scenarios from previous mediations. The trainers demonstrated the techniques and we were able to practice them until we got them right. I valued having the instructors coming around to each role play group to coach us.”
“The trainers are excellent. They really know how to simplify and clarify all the different things necessary to become a good mediator. I found it so helpful to always have someone available to help me personally. I liked how each trainer had his or her own style, not just some “cookie cutter” approach to mediation. I look forward to developing MY own style. Thank you!”
“I appreciated the numerous role plays we experienced both as participants and observers. They were valuable for me because I usually do not like them because they make me so uncomfortable. The trainers never criticized and had so much patience.”
“How do your trainers do it? Our training group was really diverse with different learning styles. By the end of the second day, I really noticed how everyone’s skill level improved. I surprised myself by how much I learned about mediating by working with the other trainees. I learned how to work as a part of a group and how important it is to support each other.”
“I got great feedback from the trainers. We had different teams of instructors and each team combined a variety of experiences, personalities, backgrounds and skills. Yours is a great way of doing trainings!”
“I received a lot of relevant and important pieces of information and how to apply them as a mediator. In the middle of one discussion, I suddenly realized that the technique we were discussing would be a perfect one to use with a co-worker I had issues with. The next day I tried it and it worked! Though things at work still aren’t perfect, they’re vastly improved.”
ON THE CONFLICT MANAGER PROGRAM
"Let me express the School District’s appreciation for your continued commitment to the safety and well-being of San Francisco’s youth. Your conflict resolution/peer mediation manuals, as well as your professional development sessions and follow-up technical assistance to school-site staff, students and security aides, have supported our efforts to reduce violence on school campuses and in surrounding neighborhoods." Joyce Fetro, Ph.D., CHES, SFUSD School Health Programs, San Francisco
"Since we began the conflict resolution program, we have seen an improvement in grades, a decrease in discipline and more kids staying in school." Michael Carpenter, Ph.D., Executive Director, Student Assistance Professional Association, Fayetteville, GA
"The Conflict Manager Program is our foundation. In students we are seeing more awareness in terms of understanding the needs of others, as well as clearer communication. Students are able to express their feelings and have compassion for other kids. The program really works!" Joyce Krueger, Conflict Resolution Coordinator, Custer Elementary School, Monroe, MI
"The most beneficial thing about having a Conflict Manager Program is that kids are learning that there are positive ways to resolve conflicts rather than use threats, violence or perpetuate long-term animosity. It has de-escalated potentially problematic situations." Kent Quakenbush, School Counselor, Willow Creek Elementary School, Rochester, MN
"We’ve had students reflect that they’ve taken on the role of conflict managers in their homes. This shows us that they’re taking it to heart and really using it. Now we’re looking to do family training so that what we do in school is reinforced at home." Alice Smiler, Healthy Start Program Coordinator, Ben Franklin Middle School, San Francisco, CA
"Our conflict resolution program has been a great help in diffusing situations that would normally take a lot time away from the principal. Last year we had a lot of racial problems. This year the Conflict Managers got involved and these racial problems have significantly decreased." Millie Frenald, Classroom Teacher, Esperanza High School, Anaheim, CA
“One success of the Conflict Manager Program we noticed was the social improvement of a particular student who wasn’t doing well socially in the years past—we’d been evaluating him. Now he’s an integral part of the 5th grade leadership conflict resolution program and his social skills have greatly improved.” Neil Patel, Service Learning Coordinator, Edward Robinson Taylor Elementary School, San Francisco, CA
“Our conflict resolution program has been widely accepted among the students as well as administrators. Kids automatically fill out conflict forms to refer their own disputes.” Karen Larson, School Counselor, Kellogg Middle School, Rochester, MN
“We’ve had your program for 16 years and I think that the longevity speaks for itself in terms of being successful. Having seen our example, other student advisors have started their own programs. In fact, kids have come back years later to tell me how the program has improved communication in their personal lives.” John Caviness, Program Coordinator, William DeAvila Elementary School, San Francisco, CA William DeAvila Elementary School, San Francisco, CA
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