Community Mediation Assistance

The Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution & Public Collaboration (MODR) serves as a state-level advocate for community mediation programs working across the Commonwealth. MODR provides technical support to these programs and has instituted several public sector projects that have involved collaborations with community programs. These projects have increased the visibility of dispute resolution resources statewide and facilitated the provision of these services at the community level.

Examples of MODR's Work:

Collaborative Planning Meetings for Coalition of Community Mediation Programs - MODR has been providing consultation and facilitation services in support of the Massachusetts Coalition of Community Mediation Programs. Recently, MODR provided facilitation services to assist the Coalition with collaborative planning and decision-making about its identify and structure, and its message and communication strategy with legislators regarding the state budget process and securing public funding for their programs.

Funding Advocacy Workshop for Community Mediation Programs— MODR presented a workshop on communicating the value of court and community mediation in building healthy safe communities drawing on the evidence-base of ADR research. The workshop engaged Community Mediation Program Directors and was based on a Working Paper prepared by MODR on research-informed models for viewing ADR as a financial investment that benefits the courts and the state as a whole.

Attorney General's Office and MA Association of Mediation Programs & Practitioners (MAMPP)— Cultural Competency Training for CIT Mediators: MODR delivered cultural competency training for community program mediators who serve on Conflict Interventions Teams that intervene in schools when large-scale conflicts arise. MODR collaborated with CIT mediators and the Attorney General's Office to tailor the training to the specific needs of this program.

See more examples

Community Mediation Assistance contact:

Mette Kreutzmann, Practice Research Administrator
MODR at UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard, M-1-627
Boston, MA 02125
Telephone: (617) 287-4041; Fax: (617) 287-4049
mette.kreutzmann@umb.edu