Building the Capacity to Mediate Public Disputes: A Manual for Community-based Dispute Settlement Centers in North Carolina

• NCJ Number: 117204
• Author(s): A M Sachs
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 23 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation
• Corporate Author: Public Dispute Program
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Training (Aid/Material)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This manual is designed to help staff and boards of North Carolina's volunteer, community-based, dispute settlement centers build their capacities to mediate local public disputes.

Abstract

Public disputes are differentiated from interpersonal disputes in that a public dispute mediation model details steps in the mediation process from preparation, through negotiations, to linkage of agreements with the formal decisionmaking process. Guidelines for program management and organization cover case administration, including inquiry, dispute assessment, choosing mediators, mediation, and program evaluation. The role of the program coordinator is specified, and staff qualifications are discussed. Selection of volunteers and their training needs are considered, and possible sources for program funding are identified. A proposal outline and needs statement are provided to aid in fundraising. The purposes of community education and outreach are reviewed, together with a listing of potential Government, institutional, business, citizen, and nonprofit service agency audiences. Also included is a sample outreach letter to a public official. Four public dispute mediation resources also are listed.