Spring 2008 Issue
Table of Contents
Upcoming Trainings
Spotlight on Parenting Coordination
Adult Victim Offender Mediation
Victim-Offender Mediation Training
Grant Funds CDR Family Court Training
We Are Moving!
Our Award-Winning Staff
Donations and Sponsoring Scholarships
May 30-June 1, 2008, Juvenile and Adult Victim-Offender Mediation Training: This two-part training will prepare volunteers to mediate cases involving juvenile and/or adult offenders and the victims of their crimes.
June 20-21, 2008,Parenting Coordination Training: this comprehensive training provides an overview of the new professional role of parenting coordination and begins to prepare participants to serve as parenting coordinators.
July 16-20, 2008, Civil and Family Mediation Training: this highly interactive training meets MO Supreme Court educational requirements for civil and family mediators and provides CE and CLE credits.
For more information or to register for any of these trainings call (417) 836-8831, visit www.missouristate.edu/cdr or e-mail CDR@missouristate.edu.
Become a Parent Coordinator
The CDR will offer a Parenting Coordination Training on June 20-21 in Springfield, MO. Dr. Robin Deutch, psychologist and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, will lead this training event. For more information or to register please contact the CDR at (417) 836-8831 or CDR@missouristate.eduor visit our website at www.missouristate.edu/CDR . Space in this training is limited and early registration ends May 23, 2008.
The CDR is pleased to announce the implementation of Missouri’s first Adult Victim-Offender Mediation Program! This program expands the CDR’s and Greene County’s efforts in the field of restorative justice, and it is an exciting step for the CDR and for our community.
This program, wherein victims and offenders meet face-to-face in the presence of trained mediators, is one of the few in the country that involves adult offenders. The program holds selected offenders directly accountable for their actions, asking them to face their victims and take responsibility for repairing the harm they caused. When offenders meet the individuals they harmed, they often feel empathy for their victims for the first time, and by speaking with the victims they realize the impact of their actions, thereby reducing the likelihood they will reoffend.
The program is “victim-centered,” and victims play an active role in the process. Victims have a chance to “tell their story,” to ask questions of the offenders, and to explain how the crime impacted them. Most victims are very satisfied with the experience, saying the process empowers them, makes them less fearful, and offers them closure and peace of mind.
As an added benefit, this program has the potential to reduce the caseload for Greene County’s court system, allowing the courts to handle more serious cases more quickly, thereby benefiting the entire community. It also has the potential to reduce recidivism and prevent offenders from progressing to commit more serious crimes.
Trained volunteer mediators make the CDR’s Victim-Offender Mediation Programs possible. For more information on becoming a volunteer victim-offender mediator, call (417) 836-8831, visit www.missouristate.edu/cdr or e-mail CDR@missouristate.edu.
This spring the CDR is offering a specialized training for individuals interested in volunteering as victim-offender mediators in adult and/or juvenile cases. The training will be held May 30-June 1 in Springfield, MO.
The first portion of this training will cover basic restorative justice principles and will prepare participants to conduct mediations with juvenile offenders. The second portion of this training will cover advanced topics related to mediations with adult offenders.
Any community member may apply to volunteer as a victim-offender mediator with the CDR; some training prerequisites apply to those wishing to mediate cases with adult offenders. For more information, or to register for this training, call (417) 836-8831, email CDR@MissouriState.edu, or visit www.MissouriState.edu/CDR.
This spring the Family Court Committee of the MO Supreme Court, through OSCA, awarded Greene County a grant for a Family Court Services Educational Program.
This grant supports collaboration between the CDR and the Domestic Relations Unit of the Greene County Juvenile Division to bring in expert trainers on a variety of topics to expand local mediators’ and court staffs’ skills related to conflict and dispute resolution in mediation settings. These advanced mediation training sessions will provide information for court staff and local mediators for use in direct practice with their clients and families involved in contested court cases.
Watch for more information on these training sessions in future newsletters and on the CDR’s website at www.MissouriState.edu/CDR.
We Are Moving!
The Center for Dispute Resolution, currently located in Craig Hall 371, has been granted a newer larger space! The new office spaces are located in the Park Central Office Building, which is located on the corner of East McDaniel and South Ave. This newer, larger space will allow the CDR to conduct more trainings, programs, and mediations on-site. This new space will also make the CDR more accessible to the community at large, and meeting rooms will be available for rent to area mediators.
The CDR will be moving at the end of May, and we are excited for this opportunity to grow and expand. We are also looking for help as we prepare our new space! If you are handy with a paintbrush and dust-rag and would like to assist as we ready our new home for move-in day, or if you would like to donate furniture, please call (417) 836-8831 or email CDR@MissouriState.edu.
Our Award-Winning Staff
Heather Blades, Associate Director of the CDR, was awarded Missouri State University’s Staff Excellence in University Service Award. This award recognizes full-time staff who make important contributions to Missouri State University and to the community.
Want a chance to work with Heather, CDR Director Dr. Charlene Berquist, and others who support the CDR? Contact the CDR to learn how you can volunteer! Call (417) 836-8831 or email CDR@Missouristate.edu.
Donations and Sponsoring Scholarships
Much of the Center for Dispute Resolution’s work relies on support from community members who are passionate about promoting conflict resolution training, education, and services. Your tax-deductible donation can support the CDR in a number of ways! For more information please contact the CDR at CDR@Missouristate.edu or call (417) 836-8831.
Sponsor a scholarship…
Scholarships allow both students and community members to attend basic and advanced mediation trainings offered by the CDR..
Sponsor our growing library…
Keeping up-to-date on new information in the field is key to the success of any conflict-resolution program. Donations for books and videos to be used by students and community members and in CDR trainings are another way you can support the work of the CDR.
Donate other funds and items…
Items currently on the CDR wish-list include:
- Donations for the creation of tailored training and educational videos.
- Donations for furniture to be used in the CDR’s new downtown location..
- Donations for equipment.
- Donations for materials to be used in our workshops and programs.
- Miscellaneous donations to be used for various CDR programs.