Mediate 2023

Join us for our annual conference, Mediate 2023, for an opportunity to explore the practice of mediation, renew connections and make some new ones.

Keynote Speakers:

Gerry O’Sullivan:

Working with the Thoughts of a Mediation Participant: The Context, Reason, How and Results

There are times when we need to facilitate parties to stay on their track of thinking and travel the journey of their thoughts. But this is often not as simple as we mediators think it is as we are inclined to ask default or habitual questions that are informed by our own thoughts and these may interfere with our client’s train of thought.

My own default question is/was: ‘And what was that like for you?’! If you developed a default question, think about what it is?

This presentation will cover the communication context in which we mediators work, the reason for asking mediation questions, how to do it effectively and why it works. This theory will be illustrated by a brief filmed role play and then tips on how to ask challenging questions safely.

Gerry has 35 years’ experience in conflict and mediation work, training design and delivery, and facilitation. She has published a book titled: ‘The Mediator’s Toolkit: Formulating and Asking Questions for Successful Outcomes’ and developed online training materials to accompany it, including many filmed role play demonstrations.

Gerry delivered Mediators’ Institute of Ireland (MII) accredited Certified Mediation Training for many years.

For more information: www.osullivansolutions.ie

John Lande:

Why Do You Mediate the Way You Do?

Mediators’ procedures vary widely based on many factors such as their personal histories, values, goals, motivations, knowledge, and skills as well as the parties and the cases in their mediations. Mediators develop categories of cases, parties, and behavior patterns that lead them to design routine procedures and strategies for dealing with recurring challenges. These may become second nature so that mediators aren’t conscious of them after a while.

Mediators attending this program will be guided through an exercise to become more aware of the factors leading you to mediate as you do. You should bring a laptop or pad of paper so that you will develop an outline of what Prof. Lande calls your “mediation practice system.” The audience will discuss similarities and differences in the factors affecting their mediation procedures and the procedures themselves.

You might want to read some of Prof. Lande’s publications before the program. Here’s a link to a series of short blog posts summarizing different parts of his analysis as well as a law review article that integrates them, Real Mediation Systems to Help Parties and Mediators Achieve Their Goals.

Workshops:

Learning from different ways of assessing a mediators’ competence
I have been assessed as a family mediator in Scotland for the LSS and in England for the FMC, as a commercial mediator in Scotland, as a community mediator in Scotland and New York and as a SEND mediator in England and Scotland. What I have learned and what might be useful to others.

Workshop led by Ewan Malcolm
Ewan Malcolm has been Chief Executive of Relate in London North West, Hertfordshire, Mid Thames & Buckinghamshire since 2013.
Previously, Ewan practiced as a solicitor and as a mediator. From 1989 to 2002 he was a partner in a Scottish law firm. In 2002 he established Scottish Mediation in Edinburgh and was its Director until 2009 when he moved to London. From 2010-13 he lived in New York City where he ran the Manhattan Civil Court mediation service.
Ewan first trained as a commercial mediator in 1995, then as a family mediator the following year, as a community mediator in 1999 and also as an SEN mediator. He holds a Masters degree in Conflict Resolution & Mediation. Ewan has served as Chair of the College of Mediators and was on the Board of the Family Mediation Council.
Ewan was named Mediator of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland in 2008 and received the 2018 National Mediation Unsung Hero Award.

Keeping Families Together – A child’s-rights based approach to Mediation.
Cyrenians’ ‘Keeping families together project’ works across Scotland’s four secure units. We offer whole family support and family mediation at what can often be the most challenging period in a family’s life. Join Cyrenians mediation team for this unique event; part workshop and part theatrical experience, to imagine mediation as an invaluable tool in ensuring children’s rights are met, no matter the difficulties families are facing.
Workshop Led by Alan Jeffrey
Alan Jeffrey has worked for Cyrenians, a local charity tackling the ‘causes and consequences of homelessness’ since 2014. Alan has recently completed an MSc in Mediation & Conflict Resolution and is the Senior Mediator for Cyrenians: mediation and support. Alan, alongside his highly trained and skilled team are dedicated to further developing mediation as a tool for keeping families together, improving relationships, and encouraging collaboration.

Embedding Inclusion and Intersectionality in Mediation Practice
This workshop discusses how intersectionality can inform efforts to achieve greater inclusion in mediation and be used as a powerful tool in conflict analysis. As such, the workshop explores how facilitators can ensure that diverse identities are recognised in mediation processes, whilst also examining some of the barriers to increasing diversity amongst trained mediators.
The workshop will cover what inclusion and intersectionality mean in the context of mediation practice. Then, from a practical perspective, it will look at how dominant approaches and language can influence a sense of inclusion, and lack thereof, within mediation processes.
Overall, the workshop illustrates how an intersectional perspective can inform a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics and disputes which is attentive to power differentials. Mediators will be encouraged to reflect on how they can embody intersectionality in their practice and build on this perspective to better support parties’ abilities to engage in the mediation process.
The workshop is delivered by Dr Maria-Adriana Deiana and Dr Heidi Riley who are co-investigators of the project Talk4Peace.
The project explores the role of transformative mediation practices as mechanisms for peacebuilding internationally and on the island of Ireland.
Maria is a Senior Lecturer in International Relations and the co-director of the Centre for Gender in Politics at Queen’s University Belfast. Her research interests sit at the intersection of feminist international relations, critical peace and conflict studies, and border studies. She has published on the everyday, affect and aesthetics in conflict; on the politics of gender and feminist activism in contexts shaped by armed conflict, international intervention and peacebuilding, and on EU border politics, peace and security.

Heidi is a Research Fellow in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Her research straddles multiple areas of peace and conflict scholarship, including insurgency and ideology, gender and masculinity, peace mediation, and conflict-related trauma. She has published on masculinity in armed groups with a specific focus on Nepal, UNSCR 1325 on Women Peace and Security, women in mediation, and NGO approaches to conflict-related trauma.

Dialogue on the mediation in the time of war
Next February 24th will be the second year of a full-scale Russian Federation war against Ukraine. As the war is ongoing the discussion on establishing peace takes place in expert circles and at the international level.
In order to foster an understanding, learning and contribution to peace we would like to share where we are now and what perspectives on establishing peace.
Potential possibilities for negotiation have been lost with the complete escalation of the war. Nor Ukraine is ready to sacrifice its people, territory and sovereignty, nor Russia is ready to get back occupied territories and recognize its defeat in Ukraine. There are a lot more dimensions to discuss, as well as strategies and approaches worth thinking about.
It is a turning point in our-story and the future of the XXI century. We feel responsibility for the choice to be made. As Ukrainian citizens and as professionals, we don’t see any prospects for dialogue with the aggressor and still, we are optimistic about peace for our country and people.
After the 24th of February 2022, Ukrainian mediators and facilitators of dialogue released 7 Points On The War And Dialogue. You can get acquainted with it here (https://md.ukma.edu.ua/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Public_Statement_War_and_Dialogue_Ukraine_ENG.pdf).
Here you can read the updated Ukraine Peace Appeal https://www.ukrainepeaceappeal2023.info
During the conference, we would like to welcome you to the discussion around 2 main questions:
• What mediators have we learned from the full-scale Russian war against Ukraine?
• What new strategies might help to establish peace for Ukraine and its people?
Workshop led by Vitalii Diakov

Additional:

Panel discussion and social gathering at the end of the day.

We look forward to welcoming you to our conference!

At Scottish Mediation we would not want cost to be a barrier for those who wish to come along, if this is hindering you from attending, please contact us at admin@scottishmediation.org.uk. There is also an option to donate towards tickets for others on the ticket page.

To book this event please click HERE