2002-06-12 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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....".__.-,'-:~..:..;.:,_.:"-,~;.-:.,~'.,"~".. OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES Mediation Services carries on ambitious outreach and educational activities. Overall, a total of 4,357 were reached in direct presentations and information about our services. We went to residents and youth at the Four Seasons Manufactured Home Community, school staff, city councils and town meetings, community resource fairs, companies and businesses, social and civic groups and community agencies. We were featured several times in local newspapers and letters to the editor. Our website www.mediationservice~org was finished. It is maintained regularly and we hope the public visits us there. Over 625 men, women and youth attended workshops and trainings. Conflict Resolution Workshops. These were provided to businesses, school faculty and administration, Salvation Army, MN Family Investment Program clients, families and adolescents. A "Peaceable Family" workshop was offered through Anoka- Hennepin Community Ed in the spring and fall. Covered in trainings were topics such as communication skills, techniques to de-escalate situations, various methods of conflict resolution and the mediation process. Peer Mediation Training. Mediation Services, in conjunction with the Anoka-Hennepin Prevention Trainer, trained students in grades 4 -12 in districts #11, Fridley and #623. Through a grant from the Medtronic Foundation, Mediation Services took its peer mediation training to students at the Ben Center, the Anoka-Hennepin alternative middle schools and alternative high schools. Students and staff of the Anoka County Juvenile Center were also trained in the skills of peer mediation. The experiences with the alternative schools, Bell Center and Anoka County Juvenile Center were encouraging. Students grasp the concept and learned the process quickly. Mediation and conflict resolution are life skills everyone can learn and can learn to use. Collaborations. .i\-fediation Services collaborated to produce "Rent Wise", a series of 6 workshops aimed at tenant stability through education. In 2000 Mediation Services trained tenants at the Vemdale Apartment Complex in Anoka and in 2001 participated in several "train-the-trainer" seminars that followed. We endeavor to make our trainings and educational experiences hands-on, practical and fun. Our goal is to increase participant's capacity for resolving conflict and reducing violence. We engage participants, capture their interest and expect them to take responsibility for their own learning. We affirm skills participants possess, present new skills through interactive techniques and give participants an opportunity to integrate the new and the old in real-life situations. Participants are highly satisfied with these events. 6 ~