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• December 2000 - January 2001
• March-April 2001
• May 2001
• June 2001
• July 2001
• August 2001
• September 2001
• October-November 2001

Sharon Murphree, one of the Community Mediation Center’s founders is our volunteer to recognize as we enter the 21st century. Sharon signed the formal request for non-profit status filed on June 29, 1994, along with Bob Swan and Grayfred Gray. She remains active on the Board since its inception and has held many positions including Board Chair. We recognize Sharon for her early vision, her ongoing commitment to CMC, and her willingness to serve as requested. One way to assess an organization is its continuously committed individuals. Thank you for staying true throughout, Sharon Murphree!

"One of the deep secrets of Life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others."

The Staff of the Community Mediation Center is fortunate to have so many outstanding volunteer mediators. The closing of 2000 brings with it many wonderful successes that "WE" accomplished.

Statistics on Our 2000 Mediations –Knox County Juvenile Court

Juvenile Court reflected the largest referral growth during 2000. CMC received 140 cases concerning juveniles and 100 referrals from Child Support, for a total of 240. In comparison, we received 163 total in 1999 and 111 in 1998. Volunteers mediated 500+ hours during the year, not counting numerous evenings when clients did not attend their scheduled mediation. Parties participating in mediation reached agreement in 83% of juvenile referrals. Of those parties participating in mediation, 71% of parents sought to create a parenting plan. With the increased number of juvenile referrals, CMC began 2001 with 35 ongoing or unscheduled referrals. (Other programs will be featured next month.)

CMC is establishing a committee of volunteers to identify and implement improvements in our juvenile court mediation program. The addition of several new programs, the increase of referrals, and the construction of the new court facility have generated this need. We look to formally integrate the improvements through training and modifying procedures. If you would be interested in serving on the committee, then please inform Sharon or John.

Lisa & John taught their first Domestic Violence & Mediation Master Class in Nashville on January 25-26. Rich Kessler the ADR Commission Director provided valuable input as a guest presenter. Richard offered his experiences as a mediator and as the manager of the Tennessee parenting program. The panelists from the Domestic Violence Intervention Center, the YWCA, and the Nashville Metro Police were informative and interested in learning more about mediation of parenting plans. The nine participants of the two-day training offered CMC excellent reviews of the first class. If you are interested in the Domestic Violence & Mediation Master Class, there are three more sessions scheduled. The upcoming times and locations are Gatlinburg, Feb 9-10, Chattanooga, Feb 15-16, and Memphis, March 8-9. Please contact Lisa or Sarah at CMC.

Marcia Meldahl was quick to call CMC after her first mediation at the Moses Center, "I really like the facility, especially the library. It makes an excellent place for mediation." The facility has received continuous positive feedback. Karen and John Doggette initiated the evening sessions held at the Moses Center (Boys and Girls Club) beginning October. These sessions are held in the Police Academy wing of the center on Carrick Avenue. After working out early kinks, regularly scheduled mediations will continue at the center.

Sharon Upshaw has successfully approached Pellessippi Community College for permission to have evening mediators use the parking lot next to our Juvenile Court Annex Office. Mediators can pick up a temporary parking permit from our office and place it on their cars on those nights they mediate. The addition of the outside light at the Annex is also a positive improvement for those dark nights.

And Even More Mediation Rooms: Bob Swan has secured an additional mediation room near the Chancery Court Desk on the first floor of the City/County building. Many of our mediators will learn new tactics of mediating in a room with a wonderful view from the window.

CMC Board Retreat: The annual board retreat will be held on March 17. The objectives are, to orient new board members, to review and approve the business plan, and to begin working agreed upon objectives. The CMC not-for-profit business plan will be available for those who are interested.

Robyn joined our staff in early January, transferring from another *VISTA assignment. She moved to Knoxville to be more supportive of her family in Greeneville. Robyn will be working with Sharon and Sarah in peer mediation and in the operation of the Knox County juvenile court mediation program.

Good-bye to an AmeriCorps*VISTA:

Brian Crowell returned home to Florida over the Christmas break. Unless a volunteer has received mediation training, it is difficult for that person to "fit into" the Center's operation. Brian got to witness his first snowfall, as TN was the most north he had traveled. We'll miss him, and we wish him the best in the future.

March 4th Interviews of new mediators will be held on Sunday, March 4th.

Traditionally, our current volunteer mediators interview perspective new mediators. (Interestingly, we have found no other volunteer center that uses such an approach). Please call if interested in being an interviewer.

Good Press for CMC in Blount County:

Through the efforts of Rob Williamson and Bob DeRycke, CMC had a front-page story on the renovation of our Blount County office. The article featured a picture of Judge Terry Denton, who provided most of the carpentry work. The new "rent-free" offices offer a more appropriate space for the mediation process. Enthusiastic volunteers have committed to a "paint party" on Feb. 2nd.A second CMC article provided an overview of the new parenting legislation and the related requirements for mediation. The January 21st article in Blount County’s The Daily Times is entitled "Law makes divorcing parents plan home life." Both Lisa Givonetti and Rob Williamson were quoted extensively in the article. A companion article to the parenting plan article features Emily Woods, a CMC Blount County Advisory Board member. Her complementary article highlights "Classes (that) help ease stress for children." Copies of the articles may be obtained in the Knox and Blount County offices.

Youth Leadership & Peer Mediation Training:

On Jan. 12th, VISTA member, Sarah Nunes conducted a two-hour workshop for 17 student leaders from four Blount County high schools. The Peer Mediation training is considered an essential part of youth leadership within the community.

New Support for Mediation Process:

General Session Court judges Ed DeLozier & William Brewer will have "working session" with Bud Muly, Bob Swain and Rob Williamson on February 2nd to adapt the Knox County Mediation manual and forms to meet Blount County regulation.

Forms, practice, observations, scheduling, getting in buildings without badges...Our new mediators have handled all these factors with grace and continued eagerness. Their commitment of time and faith in the CMC process for their upcoming year is appreciated. Please welcome these new faces when you are observed or act as a mentor mediator.The members of the spring 2001 class and their current assignments are the following:

Knox County Blount CountyGen. Sessions: Juvenile Court: Bob DeRycke

Jim Davis Bert Ritchie John Gundlach

Julian Wick Robyn Davis Lynn Kidd

Julia Tucker Ron Hopper

Debbie Marlowe

Marcy began mediating with CMC in the summer of 1999 in General Sessions court. After 18 months of mediating in sessions, she made the transition to Juvenile Ct. programs. Marcy is recognized in our office for being the quickest mediator of all time to respond to pages and return phone calls. She works to give excellent feedback from each one of her mediations. We appreciate Marcy’s continued interest and commitment to CMC.

Reminder to all Mediators:

Please call in advance to let CMC know when you’re unavailable. This is especially important for General Session mediators due to the necessity of two teams for court. Also, remember to notify CMC of your upcoming vacation schedules.

On May 10, CMC trained the ABA’s TN District Ombudsmen in Nashville, TN. This training offered mediation as an action for resolving an issue within the Ombudsmen field. One goal of the training is to offer tools of mediation that can be shared with volunteer obudsmen as an expansion in their own trainings.

Rebecca Hill has been surveying mediation participants in General Sessions to assess their perceptions on mediation. The results of the survey will be offered to CMC for review.

Mediators should look for CMC’s "Code of Ethics" agreement in the upcoming weeks. General Sessions Mediators should have already signed and returned these agreements to CMC. Volunteers who mediate at the Annex and the Moses Center will receive the agreement soon. Sharon is beginning a series of upcoming orientation sessions for Knoxville Police Department. The officers will receive on overview of CMC services and learn how to refer cases to mediation. The schedule will be determined by KPD.

General Sessions Juvenile Cases Visitation Cases Criminal Cases# Mediated: 27 # Scheduled: 9 # Scheduled: 48 # Scheduled: 2

Youth Leadership Blount has just completed several training sessions with Sarah Nunes. Graduation certificates were awarded to 17 students on April 30. According to P.J. Eubanks, Director of YLB, "Sarah was an excellent trainer, " and P.J. is looking forward to next year’s class. P.J. reported that members of the class said that they "had learned a lot about listening," and the "hardest part was not talking, but listening." The students also reflected that the skills they learned could be used in everyday life with friends, parents, and teachers.

Upcoming peer mediation events include two trainings for Knox County Parks and Rec. The first is with the Knox County summer staff on May 18th. The second is for Fountain City’s summer campers in mid-June. There is a third training scheduled for the students of the Ulster Project the first week of July.

Dear Miss Communication,

I had a mediation last night. My co– mediator said a few things that I didn’t agree with. How do I tell him to stop without kicking him under the table?

Signed,

Meedie Ator

Dear Meedie Ator,

Well, I’m glad you didn’t bruise your co-mediator’s shins. You need to be assertive, but not break your team atmosphere. There are many ways to go about this, but the simplest is just to ask for a break to review the mediation.

Miss Communication

You may find things have shifted in the Annex office and in the mediation rooms. Please bear with us as we adjust to the Juvenile Building’s nearing completion. One noticeable thing missing are the big roles of paper. We are beginning to use newsprint pads that you should find in each area of the Annex room. When we run low, please stick a note in the mediation packet asking us to restock.

The library has moved to the middle room on the left behind the security desk. We are working to keep extra supplies on-site, as well. You will find blank forms, tape, makers, pens, etc. in the burgundy hang file box. This should reside on the desk as you enter beneath the packet tray. As always, let us know what is low or missing.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness:

Alcoa– Maryville Civitan Club Youth Leadership

Blount Volunteer Fair

Blount County Eucmenical Action Council Help 4 Kids

Sheriff’s Department Chaplains Trainees

Women’s Circle of First UMC of Maryville

Published literature is also helping to raise awareness of Blount’s program. The new "Resolve Juvenile & Family Disputes" brochure has been sponsored by Blount Co. Memorial Hospital. This brochure, along with listings in the new Health & Human Services Resource Guide for Blount Co. and "Success by 6," a United Way program, are three more ways to find CMC as a resource in our communities.

A review and adaptation of the General Sessions manual for Blount is in process. Judges Delozier and Brewer, as well as County Court Clerk Tom Hatcher have expressed strong support for the Blount General Sessions program. An additional point of interest in Blount County General Sessions Court is that Ernie Wallace has been appointed the "Bob Swan of Blount County."

E-mails: mediate@esper.com – Knox cmcbc@korrnet.com –Blount

Lisa Givonetti and Robert Waltz were married on April 28, 2001.

They met through their affiliation with CMC. Lisa even interviewed him for the job (of mediator, of course). The newlyweds enjoyed sailing cruise following the nuptials. Mrs. Givonetti-Waltz returns to the office on May 8, 2001.

The CMC family wishes to congratulate Asst. Director, Sharon Upshaw, for her 5 years of devoted service. She is loved and appreciated for all of her hard work!

Natalie LaVasseur has just passed the bar! Natalie has been mediating with CMC this year while studying for the bar exam. We celebrate your success and will be looking for your new business cards in the mail!

Volunteer of the Month: Sarah Nunes

Sarah has served at CMC since Mid-August as an AmeriCorps* VISTA. She has logged many hours coordinating cases for the various Knox County courts, expanding the peer mediation component of CMC, and helping to develop the growing areas of CMC service. She has also logged many miles promenading on Gay Street! We appreciate all the little things that Sarah does each day. But most of all, we enjoy the laughter she brings with her.

The third annual Tennessee State Mediation VORP Conference will be held in Knoxville on June 23, 2001. The conference is sponsored by the Administrative Office of the Court. CMC has been allotted 12 spaces for Knox and Blount volunteer mediators. If other centers do not fill their allotment, then we will be contacting additional mediators about attending. If you would like to be on the waiting list give CMC a call.

There are two featured speakers for the one day conference. Lorig Charoukdian, head of the Maryland Association for Community Mediation Centers is one of the speakers. She will be assisted by Nick Beschen, a senior staffer, to give a presentation on funding of mediation centers and how to perpetuate them as entities. The other "out-of-town" speaker is Dr. Gordon Bazemore and/or a senior staffer from the BARJ project at Florida Atlantic University. The project looks at targeting juveniles in a restorative justice setting.

CMC will be conducting a second training in the late summer or early fall. Our volunteers do our best recruiting. People who mediate can best explain the benefits of volunteering their time and the skills received . CMC would like to challenge each volunteer to recruit one person per year. Several volunteers have taken the initiative to place notices in their church bulletins. Use your contacts and your creative abilities to help make the fall class a large diversified group of participants!

The CMC 2001-02 Business Plan names one of its goals as: "Create policies and pilot procedures to evaluate volunteer mediator performance, including self-evaluations, observation and evaluation by mentor mediators and staff, etc." The first program to be piloted with evaluations will be General Sessions Mediators who have at least one year of experience within that Court. Volunteers will receive advance notice of their evaluation date. They will also be given information on what skills and methods the evaluators expect to see utilized. The goal of this project is to help individuals gauge their own development, as well as to assist staff in providing more appropriate continuing education.

The CMC will be conducting its first survey of our volunteers in the next month. A CMC Board Committee chaired by Suzanne Rogers, Board Secretary, has developed a confidential survey that will The CMC will be conducting its first survey of our volunteers in the next month. A CMC Board Committee chaired by Suzanne Rogers, Board Secretary, has developed a confidential survey that will be mailed to all active mediators. The input from the mediators will be invaluable in the future planning of the Center. Please take the time to provide CMC with your thoughts and wishes. The survey should be returned it to Suzanne, not CMC.

CMC has submitted several proposals in the past month to assist us in augmenting our current services and in developing new areas of service.

To name a few, we have recently filed applications with the TN Commission on Children & Youth for peer mediation, to HUD for housing authority and neighborhood programs, and to the Administrative Office of The Courts for renewing funds for General Sessions and Juvenile Court services.

Mediators should have received a copy of CMC’s "Code of Ethics." If you have not read and signed a copy of these, then please contact Sarah at CMC.

The first took place with the Knox County summer staff on May 18th. Robyn & Sarah trained the summer staff on conflict resolution skills and anger management. The presentation addressed how counselors could use these skills with two different age groups, K-3rd & 4th –6th graders. They were well received, and asked to extend these skills by training some of the kids at the different camps. Way to go Robyn & Sarah!

The second Knox County Parks & Rec. training is for Fountain City’s summer campers during the week of June 18-23. Robyn will visit the camp for a two-part training in conflict resolution skills & peer mediation techniques. Sharon & Sarah presented an Anger Management Workshop to Ms. Ayer’s 3rd grade class at Green Elementary on May 9th.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness :

Habitat For Humanity Homeowners, May Meeting – Lynn Kidd & Susan Hunt worked as volunteer presenters with Rob for the May meeting/ class.

The Blount Co. General Sessions Manual is in final draft & will be put to use very soon after editing from both Judge DeLozier & the Clerk of Ct‘s office. Judge DeLozier has also written a very enthusiastic letter to VORP in support of CMC’s mediation programs in Blount Co. Rob has completed training for the Blount County Sheriff’s Dept. in the Volunteer Chaplain program. He will work with the School Resource Officers & the Crisis Negotiation Team, as well as providing mediation services.

Rob & Bob DeRycke attended the State AOC VORP Director’s meeting on behalf of CMC on May 17.

Dear Miss Communication,

What happens when the parties I’m mediating want to continue, but are faced with going to court before reaching an agreement?

Signed,

Meedie Ator

Dear Meedie Ator,

You, as the mediator, should advise them to contact the court where their case is filed. They can request a continuation due to mediation before or on their court date. You should also advise them that CMC does not have the authority to move the date.

Miss Communication

The Community Mediation Center and the University of Tennessee Law School have jointly agreed to sponsor the third annual Knox County Mediation Day in early September. More information about the event and opportunities to assist in the planning will be coming.

Please inform CMC of when you are unavailable. We appreciate having ample time to find

replacement mediators when necessary. Don’t forget to include your upcoming vacations!

The State of Tennessee's 2002 Budget:

Several mediators have asked questions about CMC's State funding and how we could be negatively affected by a proposed "bare bones" budget. Until the budget is finalized and the Tennessee Supreme Court Administrative Office of the Court (AOC) receives its appropriation we will not know. AOC is our largest source of funding so a cut in their budget could significantly impact CMC.

Thanks to those who completed and returned the CMC questionnaire developed by the CMC Board of Directors’ Care and Concerns Committee. As of July 2, the Committee has received 40 responses of the 90 mailed to mediators. This is the first time that mediators have been formally queried since CMC was chartered in 1994. If you haven't quite finished your questionnaire, please take the last few minutes to do so and put it in the mail. The newsletter will report general results when they have been compiled.

Mediators should have received a copy of CMC’s "Code of Ethics." If you have not read and signed a copy of these, then please contact Sarah at CMC.

For the month of July, we again honor our CMC AmeriCorps*VISTA staff. Robyn Davis came to us in January 2001 and will be completing her service this coming August. During her term, Robyn’s project focus was in providing peer mediation training for youth. She has also completed the CMC volunteer training, and has begun to mediate in Juvenile Court. Volunteers will most likely recognize Robyn by her phone voice. She has been a great help to CMC in scheduling Juvenile Court mediations, often calling to beg dozens of mediators a day!

We will certainly miss Robyn in many ways, including her role as Editor of the Neutral Zone!

Robyn we wish you much luck in your adventures!

The 3rd Annual VORP Conference took place at the University Center here in Knoxville, on June 23. In attendance were Susan Hunt, Edie Wagner, Yvonne Webb, Rob Williamson, Robyn Davis, Sam Fowler, Kim Russell, Judge Terry Denton, Lisa Givonetti, Lynn Kidd, Bob DeRycke, and Dave Rupert. Presenters offered workshops on state funding ideas, expanding juvenile justice programs, and a bias and diversity program conducted by Melissa Beschart and our own Dave Rupert.

The Community Mediation Center and the University of Tennessee College of Law will be co-hosting the third annual Mediation Day in Knoxville in mid-September. The date and location will be provided next month.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness :

Blount Co. Task Force on Domestic Violence by Rob Williamson and Bob DeRycke.

The Blount Co. General Sessions Manual is in final draft & will be utilized in the upcoming General Sessions planned for mid-July.

A continuing education session entitled "The New Child-Oriented Divorce & Co-Parenting Mediations" took place on June 26th for Blount County’s volunteer mediators. Kim Russell, Lisa Givonetti, & Emily Woods served as individual segment trainers. Kim’s segment focused on the "Legal Time Line of the New Child-Oriented Divorce Law." Emily’s segment focused on the spirit of the law and the best interest of the child. Lisa presented information on "Sensitivity to Domestic Violence." Greg Davis, Jim Johnson, Dick Zivi, Kim Russell, Lisa & Rob lead a panel discussion. Overall, 22 people participated in the training.

The second Knox County Parks & Rec. training took place on June 23 for Fountain City’s summer campers. The campers enjoyed a lively & interactive workshop in conflict resolution skills & peer mediation techniques. The students plan on using the skills in their AfterCare program at the recreation center.Robyn & Sarah presented a Conflict Resolution Skills & Peer Mediation Workshop to the Ulster Project on July 2. This project is unique in that is serves to enhance the understanding of diversity between Northern Ireland and United States students. Not only did CMC help to educate the students, but also the students educated the trainers.

CMC has an almost regular summer outing to see the Smokies play baseball. The event is scheduled for Sunday, August 5 with the beginning at 5:00 p.m. If you are interested in attending, please inform the staff by phone or e-mail. We will hopefully have enough attendees to purchase a block of tickets. Notice to "first- timers, " this is practical fun… a team of CMC volunteers will mediate the balls and strikes! Bring your family and friends to meet and greet your fellow mediators!

My co-mediator and I disagree over whether we should schedule our continuation on the night of mediation. She believes that the CMC office performs the scheduling. I think that we are supposed to schedule our own continuations. Please help us. Signed,

Meedie Ator

Dear Meedie Ator,

You are not the first person to have this dilemma. Because all the parties are present at the mediation, it is best to go ahead and schedule for the next session. Make sure to inform CMC by phone or packet of the continuation date. The office will ensure that the location and reminders are completed.

Signed,

Miss Communication

www.2mediate.org E-mails: mediate@esper.com – Knox (in transition)–Blount

For the month of August, Carol Seavor is honored as CMC’s volunteer of the month. Carol began mediating in 1999. She has remained an active volunteer who continues to commit her time and skills to CMC. We appreciate Carol’s flexibility and her willingness to "fill-in." Her "go with the flow" attitude in unpredictable mediations is one more reason CMC is able to look so good. Thanks for all your hard work, Carol!

CMC staff is currently taking applications for our next Volunteer Training, to take place in late September. If you know anyone you think would make a great member of the CMC family, please direct him/her to call CMC ASAP!

The application/training schedule is as follows:

Application Deadline: Friday, August 24 Interviews: Sunday, September 9

Orientation: Friday, September 7 Training: Sept. 21, 22,23 & 28, 29, 30

To current mediators who are eager to get some practice, or just have some fun, we are looking for volunteers to assist in role-plays and panel discussions during this class. For more information, please call CMC!

The Community Mediation Center and the University of Tennessee College of Law will be co-hosting the third annual Mediation Day in Knoxville on September 24, 2001. The luncheon will be again held at The Foundry in World‘s Fair Park. This event serves to honor those who give their time and effort to support the mediation community. Look for formal invitations with further details in the mail soon.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness:

Blount Co. Sherrif’s Office Chaplains & Volunteer Chaplains by Rob Williamson & Bob DeRycke.Blount Co. Schools Employees Fair by Rob Williamson & Bob DeRycke. Assisting volunteers included Susan Hunt, Lynn Kidd, Sherry Brewer, John Gundlach, & Joan VanSickle Sloan.

Blount Co. Juvenile Court Staff for using mediation as a resource for pre-sentence probation cases.

The Blount Co. General Sessions Manual is in final draft, and, following its approval, General Sessions mediations are expected to begin in mid-August.

New Providence Presbyterian Church donated several pieces of office furniture to the Blount Co. office. Thanks to Tom Eustis, Lynn Kidd & Bob DeRycke for arranging & delivering the furniture!

Some of you may have received unusual-looking emails from CMC recently, including attached files that you had not requested. Unfortunately, these e-mails were sent out by a worm that invaded the CMC e-mail system! This particular critter lives in the Outlook Express system, and takes your files, infects them, and mails them to people in your address book without anyone knowing. This is the dreaded "W32.Sircam.worm@mm" virus.Although things were touchy for a while, we are happy to report that, with the help of resident Thecomputer-geeks Robyn & John, we can confirm that the varmint is officially deceased as of August 2!

If you received an email from CMC between July 17 and August 2, 2001, and you do not have updated anti-viral software, we recommend that you visit the site www.sarc.com to learn how to scan for this virus, and how to kill it if you have it. Please follow the copious directions carefully, as it can be tricky!

David Perlman, a ‘96 graduate of CMC volunteer mediation, is the winner! Some of you may remember David as a General Sessions mediator from ’96-‘98. His essay has been selected as this year’s winner of the James Boskey Memorial Essay Contest. This award is given through the American Bar Association’s section on Dispute Resolution. As part of David’s graduate dissertation, he authored a chapter entitled "Mediation and Ethics Consultation: Towards a New Understanding of Impartiality.‘ David will receive a cash award and plaque at this fall’s Association for Conflict Resolution Conference in Toronto.

The third Knox City Parks & Rec. training took place on July 9 & 11. Thirty summer campers at Austin Home’s Recreation Center enjoyed a lively & interactive workshop. This two-part workshop emphasized conflict resolution skills & peer mediation techniques. The students plan on using the skills in their AfterCare program at the recreation center for the upcoming school year. CMC plans to continue working with the Austin Homes program and the incoming students this fall.

CMC is pleased to announce the premier of the hottest thing off the press since The Neutral Zone itself! We will soon be ready to go to press on THE source for Blount County Mediators, The Neutral Zone-Blount County Edition! It will be distributed monthly, and will be focused on CMC activities and mediators in Blount County. Now you have two places to go for all the news that’s fit to print! Spearheading the effort is editor Sherry Brewer, with assistance from Rob Williamson and the CMC Staff. Look for The Neutral Zone-BC in an e-mailbox or CMC office near you!

Dear Meedie Ator,

Miss Communication is attending an important conference in Tahiti, "How to Listen to Waves: Communicating with Nature." She will return next month to shell out more advise... Miss Communication

Oh, The Places I Go...

With brains in my head, and feet in my shoes,

I’m off to Delaware, what a shocking bit of news.

AmeriCorps*VISTA has offered me a task,

To help educate and train, this year’s new VISTA class.

What I’ve learned at CMC, is a value indeed,Which I’ll put to good uses, just wait and see.

As many of you know, UTK was where I was to go,

But with tuition paid at UDN, how could I say NO?

This Californian came, and a Tennesseean goes,

Off to the Mid Atlantic, where God only knows.

What adventures await, I can’t anticipate.

But this one thing’s for sure, Mediation is an art,And the CMC staff and Volunteers will remain in my heart! Sarah Nunes

www.2mediate.org E-mails: mediate@esper.com – Knox cmcbc@esper.com–Blount (NEW!)

The Neutral Zone

Month of September Special Issue

Volume 1, Issue 10

Community Mediation Center and the University of Tennessee College of Law are proud to co-host the Third Annual Mediation Day:

The Foundry on the Fair RestaurantWorld’s Fair Park11:45 AM – 1:15 PM. Mediation Day serves to recognize the working partnerships that support and provide mediation. Beginning in 1999, Mediation Day has honored those who give their time and effort to further the mission of the Community Mediation Center. The focus of Mediation Day over the past three years has reflected the ever-changing voice of mediation.

CMC’s inaugural Mediation Day recognized the foundations of mediation in Knoxville—the CMC and its volunteers, the Judges who supported and helped develop mediation programs, and the UT School of Law Mediation Clinic, which taught upcoming lawyers about mediation. Last year’s Mediation Day focused on raising the community’s awareness regarding mediation. This year’s Mediation Day recognizes how mediation has progressed over the past decade, including contributions of volunteers, community agencies, and partnerships as part of CMC’s growth within our community.

Mediation Day spotlights the following supporters CMC:

Grayfred Gray, Esq. Associate Professor Emeritus U. T. College of Law

Our specific honoree for this year is Grayfred Gray who through the CMC and the Mediation Clinic has been instrumental in the progression of mediation in our community over the last ten years. Grayfred has had many roles within the mediation community by moving from Director of the Community Mediation Center to the founder of the Mediation Clinic at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

Richard Kessler, Esq. Programs Manager, Administrative Office of the CourtsRichard is the manager of the groundbreaking Parenting Plan Program in Tennessee, as well as the Victim-Offender Referral Programs of Tennessee. In this role, he oversees several community-based mediation centers that provide juvenile and adult mediation services, and court-sponsored Parenting Programs that provide mediation for divorcing parents to assist in planning for their children.

This year’s Masters of Ceremonies-Thomas Galligan, Dean, University of Tennessee – Knoxville College of Law and John Doggette, Ed.D., Executive Director, Community Mediation Center

Community Mediation Center is a Not-for Profit Organization-

Chartered in 1994 it brought together three different court based mediation programs: General Sessions, Juvenile and Knoxville Bar Association (low-income divorce) Mediation Program. In 2000, CMC expanded its offices into Blount County by establishing a Blount County Juvenile Court Program. CMC has handled over 3000 mediations since its inception.

CMC is Considered Effective by Institutions and Citizens-

In 2000, the co-mediators assisted their clients in reaching agreements in over 72% of the general sessions and juvenile cases when the parties signed an agreement to mediate. (334 of 461). Nationally 50% is considered excellent.

Conflict Resolution is our Mission-

During a time of increasing conflict and senseless violence within our community, our families and local organizations Knoxville is fortunate to have such a committed CMC staff, board and volunteer mediators.

Committed Volunteers Mediate for Free -

Volunteers are trained to standards prescribed by the national mediation organizations. Seventy-five of our 100 mediators committed to co-mediate weekly. They receive continuing education throughout the year.

CMC Mediators Provide Support to Many Knox Courts-

The courts supported are Knox & Blount Juvenile Courts, including Child Support Court; General Sessions and referrals from Criminal and Chancery Court. All mediations are conducted at no cost to the clients or the courts.

School Mediation Referrals are Growing-

Staff assists in training and mentoring eligible school peer mediation programs in Knox & Blount. School officials also refer family and truancy issues to CMC for family mediation.

CMC Mediates Divorces and Visitation for Low- Income Residents-

Volunteers support low-income couples in drafting their divorce or visitation agreement. Fees are based on their income. Referrals come from Knoxville Legal Aid and many social service agencies.

Neighborhood and Family disputes Request Mediation-

Requests are increasing on facilitating and mediating family disputes and neighborhood disagreements outside the courts.

CMC Strives to Be One of the Best Volunteer Mediation Centers in the Country-

CMC is the most diverse in numbers and types of cases mediated of the eight centers in Tennessee. CMC can be compared favorably with the most progressive centers throughout the country.

Our Vision -- to Become the Recognized Conflict Resolution Center for Our Community-

While CMC is growing and expanding, it is also not well recognized within our community. East Tennessee can benefit in many ways from the conflict resolution services provided by CMC. We need your assistance in improving and expanding our community problem-solving services.

Community Mediation Center works . . .

In support of the Knox & Blount County Juvenile Courts, CMC provides services for cases involving assault, theft, misdemeanors, visitation, and other family issues. No fees are charged for these services.

In support of the Knox & Blount Counties General Sessions Court, CMC provides services for both criminal and civil cases, such as landlord-tenant, service contract, and personal property cases. No fees are charged for these services.

In support of Knox & Blount Counties Family Courts, CMC provides services for pre and post-divorce cases, as well as custody and visitation cases. These services are provided at low or no cost, on a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay. The fees charged are for the mediator’s services; CMC receives only a small administrative fee. In support of the Knox County Fourth Circuit & Chancery Courts, CMC coordinates mediation services for cases of divorcing families with children. CMC refers clients to mediators who help them to create custody or "parenting plans." Mediators receive payment for their services; CMC receives only a small administrative fee.

For the month of September, Natalie LaVassuer is honored as CMC’s volunteer of the month. She is a Rule 31 Attorney Mediator and has completed Mediating Domestic Violence Training. Natalie began mediating in 2000. She has remained an active volunteer who continues to commit her time and skills to CMC. We appreciate Natalie’s flexibility and her willingness to "fill-in." Her "go with the flow" attitude in unpredictable mediations is one more reason CMC makes such a good impression within in our community. Thank you, Natalie!

The training schedule is as follows:

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville, TN

Sept. 21 (12:00 – 9:00 PM) Sept. 22 (9:00 AM – 6:00 PM) Sept. 23 (1:00 – 6:00 PM)

Alcoa High School, Alcoa, TN

Sept. 28 (6:00 – 9:00 PM) Sept. 29 (9:00 AM – 6:00 PM) Sept. 30 (1:00 – 6:00 PM)

Special Request: To current mediators who are eager to get some practice, or just have some fun, we are looking for volunteers to assist in role-plays and panel discussions during the course of the class. Role-play opportunities are also open to those in the mediation community who are interested in experiencing the mediation process. For more information, please call CMC!

CMC staff is taking application requests for our Volunteer Training, tentatively scheduled for March 2002. If you know anyone you think would make a great member of the CMC family, please direct him/her to call the CMC offices in Blount, 997-5454 or Knox, 594-1879.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness: Tennessee Department of Education Nutritionists, 2001 In-Service Training Day

The Children’s Hospital Rehabilitation Center during their August breakfast meeting.

Knox County Head Start Community Counselors- effective communication

Sharon’s Knoxville Police Department presentations have paid off! The KPD referrals have increased by 75%! The officers are educating the community on CMC’s services when they see the need. Many parties have been interested in using mediation services and are participating in on-going mediations.

Cracker Barrel Foundation

Gene & Florence Monday Foundation

Ruby Tuesdays Restaurants, Inc.

CMC recently received a request for facilitation and mediation services from Division of Child Services. Changing legislation now includes a provision for children involved in certain Division of Child Services actions to include the "Family Meetings" as part of their case management. Lisa & Robyn attended a "Family Meeting" as facilitators and are currently looking for ways to collaborate with DCS and its use for mediation services.

For the last quarter of 2001, Lisa will be consulting with the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Services. The collaborative project includes developing the mediation and domestic violence components of the curriculum for UT trainers who present parent education simians. These UT trainers then provide training to divorcing parents in rural counties across the state. Some of Lisa’s consulting time will include traveling to onsite trainings to oversee its implementation.

We welcome Jim Davis as program director of Jefferson County. Jim is actively seeking to build and strengthen relationships within the Jefferson County Juvenile Court. Jim is also seeking volunteers who are interested in mediating with the Jefferson County program.

Recent presentations to the following groups have helped to raise public awareness:

Rob Williamson, Robyn Davis, & Bob DeRycke met with Heritage HS & William Blount HS’s assistant principals and school resource officers regarding establishing peer mediation programs.Maryville College administrators regarding student volunteers, mentoring programs, and fundraising.

The Blount Co. General Sessions Manual is "being tweaked" and remains in the final stage of approval. The General Sessions mediations are expected to begin pending approval.

Blount Co. juvenile mediations are expanding to include family mediations in regards to truancy. Judy Rice, Director of Blount Co. Schools Family Resource Center and head of the Truancy Board, has been assisting in the referral process.

The following members of the Blount County Advisory Council are unable to continue their service due to moving out of state: Marilyn Houston, Danielle Grice, Max Williams, and Charlotte Smith.

The following members of the community have agreed to join the Blount County Advisory Council: Lynn Kidd, John Gundlach, & Ted Frazier.

A Note from Robyn...Farewell to my VISTA cohort, Sarah who worked very hard to meet the needs of the peer mediation programs this last school year. In the wake of our nation’s tragedy, conflict resolution and violence prevention are at the forefront of educator’s minds. CMC is diligently working to meet the requests of schools that seek peer mediation programming. As the funding guidelines state, the primary focus of our efforts is at-risk urban youth within the Knox County School Districts. We will work to include all community education opportunities within Knox and Blount County Schools as our staffing permits. Thus far, the following schools are in varying stages of program development:

Fulton HS: This program is in its second year & will train a new class on Oct. 22 & 23.

Heritage & William Blount HS: These HS are investigating how peer mediation can

be implemented into their respective school programming.

Holston MS: Enrichment training is tentatively scheduled for the month of Oct.

Carter MS: The peer mediation program is looking at Holston MS as a model and

will collaborate with CMC to begin training in late October.

Youth Leadership Blount: The first quarter training on conflict resolution took place on

Aug. 25th. The second quarter training takes place on Oct. 18th.

The Neutral Zone

Months of October & November

Volume 1, Issue 11

Community Mediation Center

Peaceful thoughts from John…I watched "Sixty-Minutes" on Sunday, Oct. 28 and was reminded of how we individually impact the world. This particular show carried a segment following up on Palestinian and Israeli youth. Three years ago these youth had come to the United States and attended the "Seeds for Peace" summer program held annually in Maine. The issue raised at this camp was one of hope for change through impacting the youths’ interactions, attitudes, and overall perceptions of their neighbors. Without intervention, these youth often grow in their adult cynicism amidst constant violence between the neighboring residents of the war-torn country. As it also happens, Jerry Smith, who is an annual counselor at Seeds for Peace is also a former CMC mediator. Many of us attended a continuing education session taught by Jerry.

This summer, our VISTAs assisted the program for Protestant and Catholic youth from Northern Ireland. The youth spent a month in Knoxville hopefully acquiring seeds for peace through an international hosting program. We give you these two examples to hopefully show that the juvenile, adult, and parenting mediations being performed in our three counties perhaps are not too far removed from the worldwide quest for peaceful conversations and acceptance of differences.

The volunteer of the month for October is Donna Wilson Renner. Since training in fall of 2000, Donna has mediated almost every Monday for a year. We always look forward to hearing Donna’s voice on Tuesday mornings telling us mediation results from the night before. She has remains an active volunteer that also committed her time to mentor the new mediation class at this fall’s training. We appreciate Donna’s commitment and her willingness to promote CMC to her colleges at TVA. She even "hooked" a couple of her colleges to train and volunteer as mediators for CMC’s newest mediator class. Thanks for all your hard work, Donna! We’ll talk to you on Tuesday!

Peer Mediation Training is in full swing since the beginning of the school year. .

Fulton High School began its second year of Peer Mediation. This year’s group was trained two segments on October 30 & 31, 2001. Fulton’s program is now 30 students strong! West High School’s Peer Mediation Program is 15 strong and growing! Robyn facilitated an all day training with West’s school counselor, Katie O’Ferrell on Oct. 20. Robyn assisted with a second mini-training on Oct. 31st for the West students shined with their new mediator skills! What a scream...Carter Middle School is our latest school to be trained in Peer Mediation. Robyn & Jim Davis trained 28 6th, 7th, & 8th grade students on Nov. 8th & 9th. The Carter MS students also got a treat when 8 of Holston Middle School’s seasoned Peer Mediators helped with the 1st day of training by modeling great peer mediation skills! At one point, there were 40 students and staff practicing Peer Mediation!!!!!!!!

Welcome them and show them your best skills! The following people have completed training and will be the new faces you see observing, as well as co-mediating:

General Sessions– Knox County -- Blount County – Jefferson County

Susan Borthwick, Claude Ramer, Tut Bradford, Jay Avent,

Belinda Morgan, Jo Rogers, Ruthie Vaselovic, Josh Pressley, Owen Rhodes.

Juvenile Court – Knox County

Bonnie Bautz, Deana Ferguson, Tommy Lucas, Steve Patterson, Angel Romero,

Van Brabson, Marsha Humfel, Susanna Shepard, Kathy Theis, Denise Viator.

The Blount County office has e-mail! It is up and running. This offers yet another way to keep in touch with the CMCBC office.And speaking of office matters, the Blount Co. office will have two new office volunteers. Ariel and Miracle will be helping Rob through a cooperative program with Maryville College. Welcome them and thank them for giving their time to help CMCBC!

"Jefferson County Update," you ask? Yes, it’s true! CMC has now expanded operations to the Jefferson County community. Jim Davis is working very hard to begin mediations in the Jefferson Juvenile Court, as well as establish Peer Mediation sites in the Jefferson County Schools. Jim has already recruited two trained mediators to work in the Jefferson County area. Way to go!

Jim won the Mediation Day Joke Contest. He’ll be getting a free lunch form CMC.

Here’s a sample: A mediator died and went to hell. The devil met him at the entrance and assigned the mediator the eternal task of helping customers decide, "Paper or Plastic?"

Mediators really don’t know how to change a light bulb. But sometimes, it takes two co-mediators to get the clients to "see" the light. HA ha HA ha HA HA HA ha HA!

Dear Miss Communication…After attending my conference in Tahiti, I chose to extend my communal with nature. I’m now back to resume shelling out more advise to those in need...

Dear Miss Communication,

My life is so hectic. I know that the kid’s school schedules are constantly changing and we have vacation scheduled for the holidays. How do I keep from being scheduled for more mediations than I have time to perform?

Dear Meedie Ator,

Just call or e-mail your schedule changes in advance to the CMC offices and they will make sure not to schedule you during that time.

Web site: www.2mediate.org mediate@esper.com – Knox

cmcbc@esper.com- Blount cmcjc@esper.com – Jefferson