The CMC will began its 13th class of volunteer training on April 11. The number of applications, 55 and counting, far exceeded the 24-membercapacity of the class. The selection committee had a most difficult time matching the interests of the qualified candidates with the time requirements of the county courts they will serve. CMC currently has a strong base of qualified mediators in Knox County and selection concentrated on strengthening the volunteer base in Blount and Jefferson Counties. Our thanks to Karen Doggette for her overall coordination of the interviewing process and to the many volunteers who gave of their Sunday afternoon to co-interview the many candidates.

The Board and staff of CMC traveled to the Knoxville Zoo on March 16 for the annual retreat. Bud Muly newly elected Chair assumed the leadership from Sam Fowler, who completed his six-year term on the Board. Other elected officers were Ralph Alexander - Vice Chair; Suzanne Rogers -Secretary; and Lynn Kidd - Treasurer. In addition two new liaisons from key organizations to CMC were added. Sam Fowler was appointed liaison to the Knoxville Bar Association and Del Holley, Assistant District Attorney General agreed to represent the District Attorney. (A complete listing of the CMC board is included on our web site).

The retreat focused on the coming year and the requirement for updating our annual business plan to reflect the opportunities and challenges the CMC is afforded. The CMC Board was presented and passed a balanced budget for 2002. Currently neither of the CMC programs in Blount or Jefferson County has adequate revenues from the host county. The newest program explained was CMC's subcontract with Tennessee's Community Assistance Corporation. CMC will work with residents of public housing in ten East Tennessee communities to promote stronger neighborhood participation and conflict resolution. New CMC committees were identified, and for two of them CMC is seeking additional participation: 1) updating the 2002 CMC business plan and 2) planning CMC volunteer celebration events.

CMC received a $1500 contribution from TVA for its work in volunteer

mediation. Vyrone Cravanas, a CMC Board member and TVA employee, stated the contribution supported TVA’s mission of being a good community citizen. The six TVA employees, who also mediate for CMC, further demonstrate in donated hours their commitment to the mission of CMC. Our thanks to our volunteers from TVA for their many contributions.

As the first quarter of 2002 comes to a close, number of cases referred from Juvenile Court and mediated are triple the closing quarter of 2001. Four mediations during the quarter came from individuals who learned about CMCBC from community outreach efforts. In performing community outreach, Robyn hosted a two-part training for new Habitat for Humanity homeowners on March 18th & March 25th. The fourteen-residents attending the group received conflict resolution skills developed for use in neighborhood associations and neighbor-to-neighbor disputes.

CMCBC would like to thank Margaret Kidd for keeping CMCBC in mind. Margaret works for a local credit union and knew just where to send a conference table when her office was remodeling.

The CMC web site has been designed to provide current information

to our volunteer community. Current newsletters will be displayed on the

site. www.2mediate.org

A recent conversation between CMC staff and a mediator focused on the question of what should be done when a co-mediator steps outside the mediation model and becomes actively involved in problem solving for the clients. Because staff sincerely believe "It's About Me" we treat such inquiries as a request by the caller for assistance in improving her/his mediation abilities. New mediators must learn to become comfortable and effective in problem solving and to overcome differences with the co-mediator while assisting clients across the table.

The remarks made by an April training panel composed of Maze Bolen, Dianne Rairdon, and Dave Rupert help the new mediators understand their role as a member of a co-mediation team. The interactive panel itself modeled the effectiveness of CMC volunteer communication as even though none of the three had ever mediated together they effectively worked with the ideas and remarks of each other.

· Dave – Remember every one of you is an experienced mediator when you leave training. Every mediator mediates to gain additional experience and each co-mediator has contributions to make to the process.

· Dianne – Trust the model. Ensure that you are only assisting the process and that you are not a part of the mediation. Even when your partner is "on a roll" you can be an effective observant participant.

· Maze – Your clients do not expect you to be perfect. If you make a mistake brush it off and move forward. One of your tests of your own ability as a mediator is to demonstrate that you can effectively collaborate with mediators who have different styles.

As I approach the completion of my fifth year as CMC’s Executive Director I can say with confidence that CMC’s volunteer mediators are available to help each other become better. It’s about WE supporting a process for THEM. Volunteer mediators can benefit in skill and knowledge from effectively debriefing with your co- and observer especially when a completed mediation session leaves you frustrated. When an evening mediation goes late during the working week, agree to talk by phone on the next evening. If the source of your frustration is your co-mediator remember the value of the I statement. "I feel frustrated when I feel you are using non-mediation techniques that introduce a personal bias into the mediation." The skills you have learned in mediation work equally well in debriefing with each other.

Forty-five volunteers completed a survey in November conducted by former CMC intern Nick West. The analysis of the mediators’ responses was the basis for Nick’s Master’s thesis and will soon be available on our web site www.2mediate.org. CMC staff felt there were three beneficial implications related to the selection, and the continuing education of mediators raised by the study.…mediators who chose avoiding, accommodating, or competing styles of conflict management found themselves to be just as communicatively competent as their counterparts who listed their conflict management strategies as being collaborating, compromising, or blend.Data…tends to indicate that an "open" style of classroom is the best type of environment for relating such large amounts of new, and sometimes foreign, instruction on mediation. Volunteers…sought additional reinforcement of mediation techniques through an increase in trainee-trainer interactions and feedback.

Long overdue as CMC volunteers for the month are Julia and Jim Malia. Both were involved in the creation of CMC, the evaluation of early applicants, the support of committees and Board activities and the mediation of divorces. The two University of Tennessee professors provide CMC with their current schedule of availability for evening mediations. They fit CMC’s criteria for being "good folks," as well as caring and very competent mediators. CMC is honored to have their expertise and long-standing commitment to volunteer mediation. Thank you Jim and Julia.

CMC had an abundance of applicants for the 24 member April training class with over 55 applications representing Knox, Blount and Jefferson Counties. CMC was able to expand the volunteer base in Jefferson and Blount counties and increase male volunteers for evening mediations in Knox County. CMC did not, however, meet its goal for the needed additional mediators for daytime Knox General Sessions Court. A total of thirty-six current volunteer mediators provided training support and welcome to the trainees during interviews, panel discussions, role-plays and observations. Nothing attests to the caliber of CMC’s training like the participation of current mediators. New trainees were not in doubt about our quality mediation community after meeting our volunteers throughout their interview and training experience.

Under CMC’s existing contract to Tennessee’s Community Assistance Corporation two staff members and the president of a resident housing association were trained as members of the April class. All three were committed at the end of the class to also becoming volunteer mediators. A local organization paid for two of its employees to attend. Company representatives approached CMC to have them participate in training in hopes they would learn skills to resolve ongoing workplace issues.

The graduates of the April 2002 class are Michael Braswell, John Buckley, Cheryl Commisa, Jeremy Cole, Ron Davis, Richard Dietrich, Tracie Dodson-Keeney, James Goin, Richelle Gregory, Andrea Hensley, Miracle Hurley, Sue Jarnagin, Terri Lyon, Cecelia Montfort, Cathy Rhodes, Marty Seamon, Kristen Sowder, Bo Sutton, Harold Taylor, Kathleen Thomforde, and Carrie Waxler. Wilson, the service-dog of John Buckley attended the entire course and taught us lessons in patience and service. John did tell us that he and Wilson went through 28-days of training. Hmmm.

One of the concerns raised about volunteer mediation centers and mediators in general is the lack of the opportunity to validate mediation skills. The CMC will be actively establishing three-member teams for pre-scheduled mediators. CMC’s goal for the coming year is to enhance the skills and abilities of our current mediators. Less experienced mediators will be given the opportunity to observe and provide constructive feedback to more seasoned mediators. In turn seasoned mediators and CMC staff will be asked to mentor selected teams through observation and de-briefing.

Several volunteers have expressed an interest in working with CMC staff and board in planning events where the contributions of volunteers can be celebrated. Because of our limited success in bringing mediators together we hesitate to offer early suggestions. However, we would like to encourage ideas and participation from those of you who are capable of making quality events happen. Thanks.

In the middle of May I successfully completed my fifth year as director of the Community Mediation Center as well as the beginning of my sixth. Because mediation is future forward I will reframe my reflections as "issues for the future." Those who know about our CMC mediation philosophy know that in the beginning it is "All About Me."

First, I have gained great competence in operating a mediation center, in working with clients and in mediating a great variety of cases involving a real variety of individuals. CMC has received nearly 2000 referrals during my tenure, and completed over 1300 agreements.

Second, I have been fortunate to have worked along side Sharon Upshaw and Lisa Givonetti (four years) as a family-run business. We have learned and developed CMC together. The curiosity of the three of us in preparing the clients and problem-solving unusual issues has enabled many parties to become empowered to mediate. The lawyer and paralegal staff have educated and nurtured me until I know how to find protocol, procedural and legal answers.

Third, with the recognition of how much I’ve learned comes the recognition is that I must really have been unprepared when I began. Fourth, to recast a real estate term – the key to success for a not-for-profit mediation center is volunteers, volunteers, volunteers. CMC has a wonderful group of mediators from throughout the communities we serve. Thirteen classes of mediators have been trained, nine during my five years of service. In 1998 CMC staff coined two terms in talking about our mediators, partially based on Tennessee Rule 31 mediators being called as "professional." Since our veteran volunteers definitely weren’t "non-professional" established them as "seasoned." Our volunteer family of mediators soon became our "flock." Our individual mediators are "good people" dedicated mediators and otherwise very dissimilar. Fifth, CMC has gained the trust of the individual employees: judges, educators, court staff, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, local governments, social agencies and peer mediation centers across the state. The employees refer cases to mediation with the recognition that our staff and volunteers will make every effort to provide the parties with a process to enable them to resolve their issues through constructive conversation.

Finally, I continue to feel fortunate in my second career to have the opportunity to help create a very viable volunteer mediation center surrounded by great staff and volunteers. At times I would cherish a quiet day. However with four locations staffed by only five staff plus VISTAs and an occasional intern, CMC has passed being a tranquil environment. I sincerely thank all the wonderful folks associated with helping to make CMC a success.

Julian Wick is our CMC volunteer of the month. Julian was one of the original mediators trained in 1994 who took a leave to move to California. When he moved back to East Tennessee in 2000 he again became active with CMC. Julian’s cheerful disposition and calm mediation skills are utilized in General Sessions Courts as well taking Saturday referrals. Julian’s co-mediation skills in active listening qualifies him as a mediator every volunteer should seek to observe or mediate with. CMC is grateful to have Julian as a volunteer. Thanks Julian.

In August 1997 CMC instituted the volunteer of the month with the selection of Dale Robinson as the first person recognized. When CMC failed to select a volunteer for the second month Dale asked for the honor to be spread around. Since then 45 volunteers have been recognized as our first two CMC plaques of names have been nearly filled. Most selected volunteers have acknowledged their pleasure in having been recognized. As one told us " CMC has great mediators and to be considered to be in their company is truly an honor." CMC recently replaced the VoM "Save the Children" mug for one volunteer for his old one that was chipped and had a broken handle.

The breakdown of individuals selected as volunteers illustrates the breadth of our volunteer spirit. CMC has selected five Board members as VoMs; seven VISTAs or college interns; and 33 mediators. Of the mediators selected over the last five years 29 continue to volunteer regularly; two have moved; one stopped for health reasons and one died.

Recently a pilot instructor told CMC staff that the most dangerous time for a pilot was when he about 500 hours of flight time - A time when a pilot felt had so much experience that he had the tendency to no longer conduct the double-checking of all the preflight and in-flight checklists. Two pilot error examples he used to illustrate the dangers. In one example a pilot neglected to lower the landing gear prior to landing and skidded across the runway on the belly of the plane. In the other example, the pilot of a small plane neglected to visually check the fuel supply, instead relying only on the fuel gauge (which was not working.) He'll never forget the landing that day -- right in the middle of a lake!

Without overly abusing the metaphor the CMC staff always recommend that mediators consult the mediation checklists before and during a mediation. The parties in mediation should be able to know their progress along the six-step mediation checklist. Flying into a mediation without being prepared can be unfair to the parties and strongly reduce their ability to reach their own outcome.

As you read this below reflect on whether you are committing any of these experienced mediator/ pilot errors. Have you started the mediation without discussion with your co-mediator about the case or your communication patterns during the mediation? Have you mediated solo and forgot to utilize the co-mediator sitting beside you?

Or not demonstrated active listening and mediator patience? Ran your own motor when it should have been left to idle? Determined to "fix" the parties by offering your favorite sermon, the parent 101 lecture, the expert lawyer advice, or the family counselor wisdom?

The neutral mediator team became the director and no longer the guide for the process?

Wrote the agreement in your words vaguely related to the requirements of the parties?

The justification for not being a neutral scribe is usually that the mediators’ agreement will be better than the parties’ words and wishes, the mediators failed to clearly capture their clients’ alternatives or everyone was tired and time was running out. CMC staff tell all beginning mediators to request of their co-mediator that they follow the mediation model, the checklist and the six-step process. CMC staff actually has mediators who have requested to mediate only with peers who follow the model.

Following the model and using the checklists can and will increase your skills and abilities to mediate, just as similar checklists assist experienced pilots. More important quality co-mediators who trust and follow the process are also able to increase the likelihood that their clients will reach an acceptable agreement rather than sliding across life or landing in the drink.

CMC staff and Tennessee Community Assistance Corporation (TCAC) staff began working together in 1999 when we trained two VISTA volunteers from assigned to public housing in southern Tennessee. TCAC is a nonprofit organization that provides services to public housing residents in Tennessee. Their program serves 27 Housing Authorities with the mission of helping to establish resident initiatives in Public housing that will improve the quality of life within those communities.

Last year CMC assisted TCAC in writing a proposal to the Housing and Urban Development Agency to provide three-years of conflict resolution services to 10 selected resident councils in East Tennessee. The program was funded beginning 2002. CMC is the subcontractor to TCAC with responsibilities for conducting training and conflict resolution services.

In early May, John, Robyn and Jim provided three workshops over two days at a conference held in Kingsport for resident councils in East Tennessee. Site specific visits and personal programs will be developed for each of the ten locations.

CMCBC would like to formally welcome the 2002 County Council Members. These council members began meeting in March of 2002. The members are:

CMCBC mediators: Lynn Kidd, Cathy Rhodes.

Rule 31 Family & CMCBC Mediators: John Gundlach, Kim Russell. Community Resource Liaisons:

Emily (Woods) Hyden, UT Agricultural Services

Walteen Bobo & Sharon Hannum of ALCOA, Inc

Anthony Dunnings, MLK, Jr. Community Center

Theresa Irwin, Blount County Drug Court

Tim Self, Maryville College. Officer Donna Shropshire, Blount County Sheriffs Department

Thanks to Kim Russell for paying our membership to the Blount County Chamber of Commerce.

CMC staff and volunteers extend our sympathy and best wishes to one of our founders Sandie Shaver for the loss of her husband Frank.

Our volunteer of the month has the job title of "Court Clerk and Mediation Director," and from the perspective of CMC and volunteers he is an excellent employee of the Knox County General Sessions Court. However, his volunteer efforts with CMC extend way beyond his job description. Bob was one of CMC’s founders and served for six years as Board Secretary. He actively serves on many Board initiatives and remains available to "actively listen" to CMC staff on ways to improve operations and plan new projects. Bob resides in Blount County and has been supportive in the startup of the Blount CMC. CMC staff and the volunteers who frequent Knox County General Sessions Court consider themselves fortunate to have had Bob on our side for the lifetime of the CMC. Thanks for your many years of support Bob.

The Tennessee General Assembly passed legislation entitled "The Victim-Offender Mediation Center" 16-20-101 in 1992 to foster the establishment of non-profit organizations to provide dispute resolution services to the community on a voluntary basis. The five centers that were instrumental in the legislation still exist: Anderson County, Crossville, Nashville, Columbia and Knox County. Other volunteer mediation or VORP centers operate in the following locations: Putnam; Overton; Mid-South

(Hickman, Williamson, Perry, Lewis Lawrence, Wayne Counties); Sumner County; Memphis; Chattanooga; Murfreesboro; and 2 additional centers in Nashville. Eighteen of the 95 counties of Tennessee have mediation centers.

The Administrative Office of the Court (A0C) Tennessee Supreme Court is identified within the legislation as providing oversight of the centers. Center Directors meet quarterly at Center locations throughout the State to share programmatic information. The A0C program manager makes an annual site visit to each mediation center to ensure compliance with all required actions. CMC receives visitors from other centers throughout the year and makes similar visits to other neighboring centers.

CMC realizes the dilemma of volunteers being both very busy and interested in learning more about mediation techniques that might enhance their skills. Each Neutral Zone will feature monthly a continuing education article. Staff welcome your comments.

Co-mediators, starting with the first step of explaining the mediation process, demonstrate through their actions that their competency. As the parties accept that neutral mediators are hearing them they will allow the mediators to manage the process. The following list is to remind volunteer mediators of the numerous ways to control the mediation process:

• Modeling as a team the co-mediation process
• Explaining the ground rules for the mediation
• Enforcing the ground rules equally
• Choosing the topics through the questions asked
• Deciding who may speak
• Controlling the time a person may speak
• Allowing a person to respond and to be heard
• Formulating, reframing and restating what has been said
• Referring to the Six Steps to explain to the parties where they are in the process
• Drafting a neutral problem-statement
• Capturing on "the wall" the alternative solutions and writing them in neutral words
• Drafting the agreement in the words of the parties
• Demonstrating a thorough understanding of the mediation process, including the disposition of the case
• Providing the parties with answers to "what happens next" including if necessary that they call the CMC staff.
• Ensuring the parties leave safely with appropriate documents.
• Reread the list and circle those that you do well in managing the mediation process.

The three CMC VISTAS, Kathleen, Jim and Susy worked together for the first time in providing peer mediation training to Carter Middle School students. The students were attentive and committed to learning the skills of mediation during the two half-days of training provided by CMC staff.

Volunteer mediators began this summer to receive referrals from both judges of Blount County General Sessions Court. Teams of volunteers are able to attend court, receive referrals and take parties to a nearby conference room to conduct the mediation. The volunteers have found the General Sessions manual to be an invaluable resource in ensuring court requirements are followed from referral to disposition. Robin Davis-Lay is seeking additional mediators for different time slots at the Court. For further information call her at 977-5454.

We seldom get to celebrate the many accomplishments of our CMC family outside the area of mediation. Two recent examples are:

Sharon Upshaw has been selected as a participant in the Community Leadership 2003 program sponsored by the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee.

Carol Scott, one of CMC’s juvenile mediators has been selected to participant in the Leadership Knoxville program.

CMC will have a full class for the two September 6 and September 13 weekends. We will be continuing the process of including in the training representatives from the ten housing communities that CMC is serving under a contract with the Tennessee’ Community Assistance Corporation. Volunteers are welcome to attend as role players, observers or to be panel participants.

To the five volunteers who either submitted names of applicants for training or placed the request in their church bulletins – thank you. To the sixteen volunteers who participated in the interviewing of applicants for mediation, as well as the many who were willing but not needed, CMC staff are most appreciative.

One of our mediators carries large foam dice as one of her tools. She uses them to illustrate the fate of the parties if they don’t reach an agreement may just be the roll of the dice. The following actual mediated agreement was reached with a strong element of gambling on the future.A college football player assaulted a student at a fraternity party. The agreement reached was that if the football player made it to the NFL and played for three years he would pay the student $100,000. Otherwise he would pay the student nothing.

As experienced mediators we can see the challenges of writing such an agreement to ensure its validity were it were the player to become successful in the NFL.

CMC wants to salute a mediator who is taking a leave of absence from regularly mediating in General Sessions Court. Maze has determined to leave her career as an architect and re-educate herself as a nurse. She told us she feels fortunate that she is able to pursue a new passion that will enable her to help others. The volunteer mediators who have had the opportunity to work with Maze during her years of service knew that they were working with a competent, caring mediator who trusted in the model. Maze, our good-will goes to you on your new pursuit and come back whenever you can.

The 17th training class for volunteer mediators was completed on September 15. Twenty-two participants completed the training that took place at the Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement (PNI) and Center for Neighborhood Development Offices. PNI is responsible for oversight of the Empowerment Zone funds for the City of Knoxville.

The class was unique even for CMC in that 10 of the trainees were from public housing communities in East Tennessee. Johnson City, Kingsport, Rockwood, Lake City, Newport and Maryville were represented by enthusiastic volunteers. The twelve other class members will support the courts in Knox and Blount Counties. Trainees included Karen Adams, Thomas Bentulan, Amanda Bruns, Susy Hayden, Jessica Hogan, Lisa Kimball, Tina Lanning, Michael Powers, Sheila Proffitt, Star Purkey, Ennica Street, and Judith Toole.

CMC would like to thank the many volunteers who gave of their time during the training to support the new class: Conchetta Tuckson, Delores Mitchell, Robert Waltz, Janet Rooks, Van Brabson, Susan Mee, Jim Johnson, David Rupert, and Dianne Rairdon, Marcy Meldahl, and Dick Zivi. Special thanks to Gwen Winfrey, Project Specialist for PNI for opening and closing for CMC during the two weekends.

CMC has an ongoing number of applicants to become volunteers with us. Staff are constantly evaluating future needs for mediators by counties, courts and specialty areas. The tentative time for the next training is March or April, 2003.

Guest column contributed by Dick Zivi

Many times mediators don’t get the parties to sign off on things that they have agreed to as soon as they agree. Don’t wait until they have all parts wrapped up in a neat package. You might start a new poster sheet with the words "Issues We Have Agreed On" as the heading. Write down exactly what they say they have agreed on. Read it back to them and have them acknowledge that that is what they stated. Congratulate them and put a check by that point. Do not write anything else under that until they have another point that they agreed on and repeat the process. The poster agreement can initiate a "snowball" effect. Once they see thee ball rolling they may be more inclined to keep it going until it has gathered all the issues and the mediation is complete. If the mediation is scheduled for another session have them to sign the poster sheet. It may also be beneficial and necessary to write up an interim agreement, which includes all the agreements from the poster. The process will make the participants aware they are actually accomplishing something and will make a final resolution easier for everyone. To mix metaphors – nail down that snowball agreement on the poster sheet before it has a chance to melt away.

The third quarter July-September tends to be the slowest CMC quarter for conducting mediations. In the 2002 quarter just ending CMC received 128 referrals of which 110 of the parties came to mediation. Eighty-one mediation agreements were reached by the parties. CMC volunteers reached the milestone of having assisted parties referred by Knox County Juvenile Court in reaching over 1000 agreements. General Sessions volunteers reached the 1000th successful mediation in January of this year. The estimated number of mediations held where the parties did not reach agreement is 600-700.

When Judith Toole, a participant in our last training, agreed to be the seamstress who will create a coat of many colors, an exciting new CMC project was begun. She and John estimated that approximately 60-75 swatches of cloth will be needed to develop the CMC coat that will commemorate the many accomplishments of the Center over the last decade. CMC has contacted many past and present contributors to the success of CMC including one representative for each of CMC’s17 training classes. Karen Doggette has painted a watercolor of our future coat that will become the greeting card for CMC. The "Coat of Many Accomplishments" will be used in all future celebrations involving our Center and its family members. We hope all the readership will have the opportunity to try on the coat and to appreciate your contributions to CMC.

Carol and Pete Seavor have moved to Roanoke, Virginia where Carol has taken the position as President of a medical college preparing nurses and other health professionals. CMC recognizes both their contributions as excellent mediators and also Pete’s strong Board presence. We wish them the very best and they will be missed.

Sarah Nunes, a former VISTA has returned to California to attend graduate school.

(Note from John: We are including excerpts from a short article by Larry Fong on mediation as viewed from a cognitive process. Five of his concepts are selected here and although brief we believe each could become a source of lengthy dialogue. The whole article is available if any of you are interested).

Mediators’ goals include metachange, that is, a change in the client’s ability to change. The goal is really to enhance the client’s effectiveness and freedom to change.The mediators set forth rituals to institute change. These rituals can include the memorandum of agreement, homework requirements, separate sessions and mediation ground-rules.

The mediator must restate or reframe the problem so that it is more palatable to the problem seekers than their original definition of the problem. Remember: the person who defines the problem usually has the solution. Thus, before mediation begins, there are at least two conflicting definitions of the problem and therefore at least two conflicting solutions. The mediator must provide alternative explanations for the problem so both problem seekers agree.

Neutrality includes a sense of respect, acceptance of naïve curiosity, fascination, even admiration, for the clients and their perceived problem.

The neutral mediator is not interested in blame, cause, or effect but rather in understanding how the clients are tied together in their deadlock. The mediator becomes a viewer of the relationship they have with the clients and avoids entering into the system, by trying to remain at a higher interactional level.

Strategizing is the cognitive ability in processing, articulating, and evaluating the effects of the past. In essence, this leads to the construction of new action plans and anticipates how to handle future difficulties. Co-mediators collect and combine all information to lead to successful management of the conflict at hand. Strategizing should be sensitive to the cultural, social, and legal demands of any contemplated decision.

From Larry Fong, "New Paradigms in Mediation: Thinking About our Thinking." Mediation Quarterly Winter, 1992

We are considering ways to better utilize the CMC web site for our operation. Jim Davis is our webmaster: cmcjc@esper.com Please provide us with any thoughts on how to make it more useful for you or others: www.2mediate.org .

COMMUNITY MEDIATION CENTER Volume 2 Issue 7