From Charalee Graydon:
I had the good fortune to attend a mediation training in Santa Monica, California from October 28 to November 1, 2019. The course was organized and led by Kenneth Cloke, an internationally renowned mediator. Although I have completed several mediation courses and have provided training to mediators, in this course I learned many real life mediation skills and explored elements of the emotions which play such a large part in mediation and the need to develop empathy. In addition to a thorough analysis of mediation, participants were able to develop and share their skills in mediation and forgiveness simulations.
Ken’s book, The Dance of Opposites, explores mediation, dialogue, and conflict resolution systems. Chapter 8 of the book deals with “Conflict, Climate Change, and Environmental Catastrophe.”
The wide scope of mediation was acknowledged and the last day of the course focused on mediation with organizations. The matter of using mediation to deal with climate change disputes was addressed with Ken emphasizing what we may expect in the future, both in California and worldwide. This became clear when I attended the Getty Museum as one of my activities prior to starting the course. I was able to see the architecture and terrific art, prints, and photographs at the museum.
The next day, I learned that the wildfires in California had threatened the museum and that freeways and roads were closed as a result.
As a EUCLID professor, my attendance at this course had increased my knowledge of mediation and how I, as a mediator, writer and researcher can better appreciate the value of mediation as a conflict resolution method.
