News : CDRC in the News

December 26th, 2008

By Judy Saul

Originally printed in the Ithaca Journal, December 26, 2008

The calendar is turning.  Soon it will be 2009.  It’s a time to think about the year that’s past and make some resolutions for the new year and the years ahead.  That’s especially true for CDRC, as we are not just ending 2008 but completing our first 25 years of service to the community. 

CDRC’s first resolution is to remain committed to our mission:  fostering constructive responses to conflict.  CDRC’s work is not about ending conflict.  That goal is naïve and unachievable.  Rather our goal is to provide the resources people need to respond to conflict in ways that build relationships, increase understanding and strengthen our communities.  We do this knowing that conflict makes life hard.  Too often it leads us to exaggerate, to say things we don’t mean, to shut out alternative perspectives.  We press on to win, forgetting that whenever there are winners there are also losers.  Whichever side we end up on, conflict handled poorly separates us from others and from ourselves.  

CDRC resolves to increase our focus on building skills so more people can successfully talk through their differences on their own.  We’ll do this by continuing to build relationships with schools and community groups so young people will learn not just reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic but also the fourth R, resolving conflict.  We’ll continue to offer training to employees and employers so that those who work together have the skills they need to cooperate and maximize productivity.  We’ll offer mediation training not only to our volunteers and to those starting peer mediation programs but to others who are interested in putting the skills to use in their personal and professional lives.

CDRC resolves to make the mediation and facilitation services we offer better known and more easily available, because we know all too well that even the best skills don’t always protect us from getting caught in conflict.  So whether it’s a conflict between two individuals, among members of a work team or in a neighborhood, CDRC can help people to communicate effectively and make decisions that factor in the perspective of others as well as their own.  Interpersonal mediation helps family members stay connected when relationships change.  Workplace interventions allow employees to build effective teams and to address organizational challenges.  Public participation processes involve community members in solving problems and planning for their futures in ways that not only support democratic values but put them into action. 

CDRC resolves to help our society implement better ways to deal with those who make mistakes, including those who commit crimes.  Our jails are overcrowded and too many students are suspended from or dropping out of our schools. CDRC will increase the help offered to our criminal justice system by encouraging more Victim-Offender Conferences in appropriate juvenile and adult cases.  We’ll continue our current collaboration with the Ithaca City School District to create a restorative discipline system that can provide effective early intervention, keeping young people in school and out of the court system.

It all comes down to helping as many community members as possible realize that talk works.   That simple two word phrase is true when the conflict is within a family, about a business transaction or in a neighborhood or community.  CDRC is eager to build on our 25 years of experience to help our diverse communities grow and flourish.  We’ll do our part to make 2009 a year that allows people to learn and grow from the conflicts they encounter.