Mediation
Everyone experiences conflict. While often uncomfortable, it's normal.
​Community Resolution Centers respond to emerging needs of the community.
Inclusive
Culturally informed mediators bring diverse people together to work through difficult situations.
Impartial
Mediators help parties make their best decisions, and
do not take sides
Party-driven
Mediation is voluntary, confidential, and parties determine the outcome.
Accessible
No one is turned away for an inability to pay. All Centers offer a sliding scale for services.
Eastern Oregon Mediation Center,
a program of the
Union County Sheriff's department.Â
Clackamas County Resolution Services
Case Studies:
Community Mediation
Coming to Agreement in Three Languages
Two youths who were dating had gotten into an argument that escalated into a physical fight in a public place. Police referred both youth to the juvenile department who brought in Community Resolution Center to support a restorative dialogue. The parents were supportive of the idea of a dialogue, yet one family spoke Spanish and the other family spoke Mam. To overcome the lack of Mam language interpretation services, the mediator connected with the school district to identify a trusted local interpreter. Most questions and statements went through two interpretations, and it developed a collaborative effort where everyone in the room was actively involved. Through listening and connecting, the two families restored respectful communication and set agreements about future healthy lines of communication. A community supported these families to help them find the best path forward.
Impact on Family Opens Understanding
A teenage boy assaulted another boy from his school. The boy who created the harm agreed to join a dialogue. At the mediation were the offender his mother, and the mother of the victim; the victim chose not to attend. The mothers were from different cultural backgrounds, and in sharing of stories, they developed an shared understanding and empathy between one another as mothers. The offender's mother expressed shame and disappointment due to the behavior of her son. The victim's mother expressed empathy and understanding as she would also feel the same, had her son been the offender. Both mothers were able to connect as mothers across cultural and situational differences.  The offending party was impacted as he observed how his behavior impacted the mother of the victim as well as the impact on his own mother's emotions. The bonding of the mothers allowed the offending party to broaden his understanding of the impact of his actions and allow for more thoughtful choices in the future.