“10th Annual International Cyber-Conference on Dispute Resolution” Theme: Community Engagement and Human Flourishing Wednesday, April 8, 2020 9 AM – 11:30 AM (HST) Join Zoom Meeting: https://csudh.zoom.us/j/668129425 Meeting ID: 668 129 425 (Zoom Conference Room Opens at 8:15 AM) Click here for more details. Contact: Nancy Perry at nperry@csudh.edu Website: https://cyberconferencedr.wordpress.com Co-Sponsors: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), Center for Service Learning, Internships & Civic Engagement (SLICE), Woman’s Leadership Workshop CSUDH, Campus Climate Initiatives, Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Conflict Resolution Alliance (CRA), Conflict Management Institute, Hawaii State Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, The Mediation Center of the Pacific, and the Matsunaga Institute for Peace
Author: Lisa Nakao
Sharing information about the Hoʻāla Assistance Program (HRF) that will provide one-time emergency financial assistance (up to $1,000 per household) to Hawaiʻi residents facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. HRF is made possible through a partnership between the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, and Pierre & Pam Omidyar. The program aims to provide stability to families during this emergency situation. Online application opens up on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Contact hrf@hawaiiancouncil.org for more information.
Sharing Essay By a CRA Memeber
Tom DiGrazia, who is a member of Conflict Resolution Alliance (CRA), wrote the following essay, and thought it may be useful to share with the rest of the CRA membership. Please note that the views and opinions expressed in Tom’s essay are exclusively his own, and do not necessarily reflect a policy or position of the Conflict Resolution Alliance (CRA) membership, or the Board of Directors and Officers of CRA. That being said, we appreciate Tom’s thought-provoking ideas in response to the turbulent times we are all facing. Thank you, Tom! THE CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC: CHAOS OR OPPORTUNITY? Some Background A formidable enemy has invaded our world. It is a pathogen called the Corona Virus. The Virus first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where nine million Chinese reside. It is believed that the Virus was developed in bats and passed on to small mammals that are considered delicacies, and sold in open-air food markets for human consumption. The Chinese government suppressed news of the outbreak of the Virus for weeks, thereby allowing the Virus to spread throughout Wuhan, and then to the rest of China. Given the commercial and travel interconnections between citizens of different countries, the Virus has turned into a pandemic, spreading to almost every nation on the Planet. Thousands of people have died in China, Italy and France, and soon in the US. The world’s response to the pandemic has been mostly slow, especially in the US, where the present administration has through inadvertence, incompetence and design hidden the Virus truth and its potentially dire implications from Americans. NY, California and Washington State have been particularly hard hit with thousands already dead. The present occupant of the White House has early on in his administration dismantled a key Center for Disease Control medical component…
Our efforts in trying to stop the spread of the COVID-19 will need to continue for a while before we come out of this battle. While we are mandated to work from home and practicing social distancing, stress and anxiety are building up in our community and coflicts will not stop. Are you adapting to this new environment? How can you continue helping your clients while staying away from them physically? In order to ensure that you are positioning yourself to thrive coming out of this battle, you may want to think about: How can you stay connected with your clients and potential clients? Are you actively engaging with your clients digitally? What else do you need to consider for your business aspect of practice? You may want to gather tips from various business related organizations, for example, SBA, Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii have dedicated resource pages for the special business environment amid COVID-19 pandemic. How can you provide the safe space for the parties to creatively come together to resolve conflicts while physically separated? Fortunately, we have technologies that are readily available that will help us stay connected while practicing social distancing. For example, The Mediation Center of The Pacific offers skype mediation and Online Mediation Program (OMP brochure) that enable their clients to use their services while staying safe at home. There are number of free video conferencing available, especially now. What logistical obstacles you may need to overcome to offer alternative venue to mediate? If you offer virtual mediation (video conferencing), will all the parties have devices to access internet, will they all have good connectivity, and the sofware is compatible? Security and privacy of connection? If you are not able to offer your services while staying put at home, how will that…
Dear Conflict Resolution Alliance (CRA) Community, Hope you are all staying safe during this time of great change. In response to the rapidly evolving events surrounding COVID-19 (also called novel coronavirus) and to practice responsible social (physical) distancing all in person events have been cancelled till further notice. During this time, people around the world, nationally, and locally are experiencing many challenges. We can play a vital role in helping to reduce the impact of COVID-19 and look after ourselves and each other. We urge you to stay informed and adhere to the recommended precautions. Some key steps are below. Keep calm – take care of your mental health during these uncertain times Listen to the experts – look for reliable resources Practice social distancing – avoid gatherings and wash your hands regularly. Please visit the helpful websites for more continuous updates on COVID-19. State of Hawaii, Department of Health (Issues and Advisories) Civil Beat – Coronavirus Topic Page (Latest Hawaii News) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) World Health Organization As an organization we are moving to online board meetings and in the same spirit we are collaborating to develop some online events that may provide some opportunities for us all to connect digitally and discuss best practices in our field. Even an opportunity to compete in our new logo competition. As details and flyers get finalized, you should be obtaining the news of upcoming events shortly. If you have a topic you would be interested in hearing about or would be interested to provide yourself, then please reach out to us at our new email info@CRAHawaii.org. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with you all. Stay healthy, happy, resilient, productive, and courageous. José Barzola President || Conflict Resolution Alliance E: Jose@CRAHawaii.org || Follow us on FB | IG…
Good News for our fiends in Hilo!
MEDIATION & CONFLICT MANAGEMENT MASTER CLASS Art, Craft, Science with Peter S. Adler, PhD & Louis Chang, Esq. Saturday & Sunday, March 7 & 8, 2020 in Hilo, HI Registration/Coffee/Tea/Refreshments: 8:00 am Saturday: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Sunday: 8:30 am to 12:00 pm ABOUT THE MASTER CLASS & INSTRUCTORS Please read attached. Includes detailed description, agendas, and bios for both instructors. ELIGIBILITY The workshop is limited to persons who: Have completed one or more mediation, facilitation, or conflict resolution trainings; Have acted as neutrals on at least 20 or more cases/projects and for at least 3 years; Are interested in continuing their work, expanding their practices, and applying their skills and experience to challenging negotiation problems; Will complete a pre-class survey and review several short read-ahead pieces prior to class. COST Participation includes: copies of selected resources; a light breakfast on both days; a nice lunch on Day 1; and coffee, tea, juice, and snacks throughout. Cost is $475 payable in advance. RSVP REQUIRED RSVP to Julie Mitchell: julie@hawaiimediation.org or 934-7844 x 5. Seating is limited to 25, so please RSVP by February 28, 2020 (if possible). Flyer – Mediation & Conflict Management Master Class 3-7&8-20 – PUBLIC
The first event we hosted as Conflict Resolution Alliance, “Navigationg the Changing Legal Climate” with Ron Ousky was a great success! Hope you were able to join us. If you missed it, now you have a chance to catch it again! Check out our new page at http://www.crahawaii.org/events/event-recordings-videos/.
Sharing information about $24,000 Grant Opportunity: The JAMS Foundation and National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) are pleased to announce the seventh Community Mediation Mini-Grant Program (“Program”). The purpose of this year’s Program is to fund the development and refinement of innovative and emerging community mediation center services that: Involves young adults (21-35-year-old) in addressing issues of race, ethnicity or economic marginalization. This is an opportunity to focus on how to engage and bring into the life of the center the energy of young adults (21-35-year-old) and in turn, create opportunities to address institutional or community conflicts that arise because of racial, ethnic or economic marginalization. To be considered for this two-year $24,000 grant opportunity you must first complete the Solicitation of Interest (Si) step. This step invites you to submit a two to three-page short answer proposal for review. There is no request for attachments, a structured budget or an in-depth justification of your work. To find out more please paste the following link in your browser: https://www.nafcm.org/news/483344/JAMS-Foundation-NAFCM-Solicitation-of-Interest–2020- 2022.htm Submission Date Interested organizations are required to submit a 1-3-page Solicitation of Interest (SI) (using the guidelines of the SI) to NAFCM no later than 11:59 PM local time of the organization’s legal/main location, February 21, 2020, at siminigrant2020@gmail.com.
Happy New Year! We have the first seminar of the year scheduled in February, presented by Ron Ousky, and wanted to share information about this exciting topic! The legal environment has changed dramatically during the past forty years. The rise of mediation, Collaborative practice, unbundling, interdisciplinary practice and self-representation, along with the innovations in the court-system have created a new landscape that is both exciting and challenging. This presentation by Ron Ousky will focus on summarizing the best ideas that have emerged and on how we can adapt to this new environment to build truly client-centered exciting practices. Ron Ousky is a leading family law practitioner who has, over the course of the past 35 years worked in, studied, and written about the changing dynamics of the legal system. Ron co-authored a groundbreaking book with Stu Webb, the founder of Collaborative Law and has co-founded one of the largest interdisciplinary family conflict centers in the world. In 2015, Ron was the sole individual to be awarded the Lawyer as Problem Solver Award by the American Bar Association. Register online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/navigating-the-changing-legal-climate-tickets-89539921315. Click here for the event flyer.
Renown storyteller ALTON TAKIYAMA-CHUNG will help us bring in the New Year with a special Shinnen Enkai once-in-a-lifetime performance highlighting the Japanese American story on Saturday, January 18, 2020 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Clubhouse (100th Infantry Battalion Veterans, Education Center). This event is suitable for all ages and is open to the public. Alton will perform selections from three of his popular pieces: 1. A yet unnamed story about early life of our ancestors on the plantations of Hawaii; 2. “Heroes” which tells the story of two brothers from Hawaii who join the 100th and 442nd to fight in Europe during WWII where they learn about courage and honor, how to be a part of a team, and the reality of war. 3. “Spark Matsunaga: Warrior Poet” which is a docudrama about Hawaii’s beloved son and 100th veteran, the late Senator SPARK MASAYUKI MATSUNAGA Click below for more details: Microsoft Word – 20200118 Alton Takiyama-Chung.docx