Volunteer Mediator

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Recruiting Organization: Mediation Services of North Central MA, Inc.

Mediation Services of North Central MA (MSI), a non-profit community mediation center is seeking a dynamic program coordinator to join our organization. MSI's mission is to empower people to resolve conflicts peacefully through mutual understanding and respect. We are seeking to expand our organization’s impact by helping more people get their conflict resolved quickly and fairly, regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, and life experiences. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative environment that delivers better results for our clients, future clients, and the communities we serve. To that end, we are working to ensure that our staff and volunteers reflect the diversity in age, languages, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and perspectives of the communities throughout North Central Massachusetts.

MSI provides mediation services to the district courts of Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster and the surrounding communities. We also work with schools, local and state agencies, and individuals to increase conflict resolution skills and awareness of community mediation resources. MSI is one of the 12-funded mediation centers of the MA Office of Public Collaboration. We are seeking qualified volunteer mediators (or people willing to become trained in mediation) to assist with court and community mediation. Our court sessions are Mondays 1pm, Tuesdays 9am, and Wednesdays varying times. There are occaisional opportunities to mediate outside of these days/times. We also notify volunteers of other opportunities to assist the agency at outreach events or trainings (as mentor mediators or roleplayers).

Benefits of Mediator training:

• Learn conflict resolution skills you can use in your daily life and work

Examples: - Active Listening Skills

- Exploration of personal conflict styles, biases, and what you bring to the table

- How to use neutral and open-ended questions to help people hear each other

- How to help people get through impasse and work toward resolution

• Learn how conflict can be positive for relationships
• Learn first-hand the challenges facing community members
• Have the opportunity to help others heal their relationships
• Court processes
• Dispute Resolution processes
• What community mediation centers do
• What the different types of mediation styles are
• The mediation process
• Mediator ethics
• Agreement writing

Benefits of volunteering with Mediation Services of North Central MA (MSI):

• Ability to participate in training tuition rebate program; Training scholarship program available for those meeting eligibility criteria (see website: mediationncm.org)
• Free orientation and mentorship
• The satisfaction of knowing that you have contributed to your community by offering people a structured, respectful, and effective method for resolving disputes
• See first-hand operation of the courts and contribute directly to the administration of justice- by helping people make come up with their own resolutions, we empower them.
• Opportunity to interact with a wide and diverse group of people
• Continued support from experienced mediators and case coordinators
• Meet other dedicated and civic-minded volunteers
• Coverage by a professional liability policy for mediations assigned by MSI, provided you acted appropriately.
• Ongoing continuing education opportunities

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair Accessible

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurring