This week I mediated a very important case in terms of my progress as a mediator in RJ. I was able to bring together several people in one room to facilitate some great discussion. My co-mediator was a veteran in the field, and I am thoroughly happy and honored to have been a part of the process. The next steps in this case are to track the youth through their agreement. Unfortunately, I will be stepping down in my role as Restorative Justice Program Intern, and becoming an intern at the Division of Youth Services, beginning next term.
Although I am not going to be an intern for RJP, I will be helping out CDR with their Peer Court. Do to unforeseeable circumstances, the coordinator who was set to do the job had to step down. I, along with another intern from CRES, will be tackling this program with full force. One set back for me is that I will be in the UK from 3/20/13-4/6/13. The majority of my work will begin there.
I am so happy to have had the chance to work for such a wonderful organization. CDR is doing some really great work in community, family, parent/teen, and RJ mediations (now facilitated dialogue). I appreciate every moment I have had there as a learning experience. So many of the volunteer mediators have been doing this work for some time. I am grateful to each person who I have worked with, and I hope to work again with them in the future as a professional in whatever field I decide. I cannot wait to start my journey into learning more about the juvenile corrections setting. I think CDR has helped me gain a greater sense of why people should want to help youth before they get to prison, and in a more restorative fashion.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Week 9- March 4th
This week I have been trying to finalize the upcoming mediation I have with two offenders and 4 victims. The mediation will consist of at least 15 people, including significant others. I am worried that we won't find a place to mediate to accommodate this many people. I hope that DYS will allow us to use on of their rooms, given that they are the ones who are overseeing this case so closely, and desire it to be completed in three month's time.
The nature of this case is a sensitive one. I imagine that the youth will be very emotional, as well as the parents and the victims. I have been completing over-the-phone intakes with the victims, and all of them seem to be very eager to do this RJ process. I am glad so many adults in this county understand the need to help prevent youth from going down the wrong path. Furthermore, these particular youth are great kids, who have never done anything quite like this in their lives. I hope I am able to keep my cool under all of the stress that comes from an emotional meeting.
I think that the shape of the room/set up of the tables play a large part of how the mediation will enfold. It is important for everyone to be at the same level. Therefore, to have the youth be sitting in a place where it makes them look like outcasts of the group is something to avoid. Similarly, as a mediator, we don't want to be sitting at a table that might look like we are an authority in the room. I hope that we can make it more of a circle. My last intake before the mediation on Monday is with a very important victim in this case. I anticipate much discussion about restitution and apology letters. I worry that the intake will not go well, and perhaps then the mediation will be emotional contentious. I am trying to be positive, though!
The nature of this case is a sensitive one. I imagine that the youth will be very emotional, as well as the parents and the victims. I have been completing over-the-phone intakes with the victims, and all of them seem to be very eager to do this RJ process. I am glad so many adults in this county understand the need to help prevent youth from going down the wrong path. Furthermore, these particular youth are great kids, who have never done anything quite like this in their lives. I hope I am able to keep my cool under all of the stress that comes from an emotional meeting.
I think that the shape of the room/set up of the tables play a large part of how the mediation will enfold. It is important for everyone to be at the same level. Therefore, to have the youth be sitting in a place where it makes them look like outcasts of the group is something to avoid. Similarly, as a mediator, we don't want to be sitting at a table that might look like we are an authority in the room. I hope that we can make it more of a circle. My last intake before the mediation on Monday is with a very important victim in this case. I anticipate much discussion about restitution and apology letters. I worry that the intake will not go well, and perhaps then the mediation will be emotional contentious. I am trying to be positive, though!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Week 8- February 25th
This past week I have made sure to contact those individuals from the mediation I could not last week. I have set up an intake with one of the families for this upcoming Monday night. I am hopeful that they will be interested in continuing the process.
I have also helped in finding mediators for two new cases we received in the past two weeks. We have a shortage of male mediators to work on RJ cases. Generally speaking, it is ideal for youth RJ to be balanced with one male mediator and one female mediator. This way, the youth (regardless of the gender) feels more comfortable with the dynamics of the meeting. Similarly, it is important to think about age in mediations. CMS is a volunteer-based non-profit, but it does help to try and find two mediators with somewhat different ages. Youth can sometimes relate better to one or the other.
I am also working on the DYS monthly report. It should be very nice to have closed some cases this month, and make room for the new ones. Another excited part of the upcoming week will be the Annual Peace by Piece Gala. I am so happy to be a part of this organization who constantly strives to make a difference in the community. I am also excited to honor Jane Gordon with an award for her outstanding work in mediation and conflict resolution over the years.
I have also helped in finding mediators for two new cases we received in the past two weeks. We have a shortage of male mediators to work on RJ cases. Generally speaking, it is ideal for youth RJ to be balanced with one male mediator and one female mediator. This way, the youth (regardless of the gender) feels more comfortable with the dynamics of the meeting. Similarly, it is important to think about age in mediations. CMS is a volunteer-based non-profit, but it does help to try and find two mediators with somewhat different ages. Youth can sometimes relate better to one or the other.
I am also working on the DYS monthly report. It should be very nice to have closed some cases this month, and make room for the new ones. Another excited part of the upcoming week will be the Annual Peace by Piece Gala. I am so happy to be a part of this organization who constantly strives to make a difference in the community. I am also excited to honor Jane Gordon with an award for her outstanding work in mediation and conflict resolution over the years.
Week 7- February 18th
This week I worked really hard on getting my RJ mediation together. I have been playing phone tag with nearly every party involved, and there are about seven! Contacting the victims is hard when it comes to doing intakes over the phone. It is necessary to leave about an hour for each phone call, because intakes generally take longer than most other calls. In this case, it is particularly important for me to make sure the victims have a good sense about what RJ is, what it does for the youth/victims involved, and what the expectations are. So far, the victims I have spoken to have been very interested in what RJ is about and are excited for the opportunity to help the youth take accountability for their crime.
I am eager to mediate with Carolyn, she is a great mediator. I want to absorb as much as possible from her during the mediation. I have also signed on to observe another case now, and I am eager for that to take place, so that I can learn from another seasoned mediator. I hope that before I leave, I feel comfortable to move to another city and begin mediating without feeling like I am not skilled enough. CMS has given me the opportunity to hone my skills, while working on very interesting and socially helpful work.
I am eager to mediate with Carolyn, she is a great mediator. I want to absorb as much as possible from her during the mediation. I have also signed on to observe another case now, and I am eager for that to take place, so that I can learn from another seasoned mediator. I hope that before I leave, I feel comfortable to move to another city and begin mediating without feeling like I am not skilled enough. CMS has given me the opportunity to hone my skills, while working on very interesting and socially helpful work.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Week 6- February 11th
This week I signed on to be a mediator in a case involving a very dangerous use of a pellet gun on a highway. It is quite an interesting case for me, in that there was present danger to the parties involved. Also, I will be working with a mediator who is very skilled and knows so much about victim offender mediation as well as working with youth. I cannot wait to do the intakes next week. I am also thrilled that a majority of the victims are wanting to participate in the mediation process. It is sometimes hard to get victims on board with this process if they do not buy into restorative methods. Eugene has been pretty receptive so far in my time in this position, though.
We are also happy to close a few more cases this month. DYS will be very happy to know that we are applying the needed pressure on the offenders to complete their agreements in a timely fashion. I have signed on to be an observer in a separate case involving a mediator who I really want to observe. He is also very great with juveniles and parents. Sometimes, the hardest part of a VOM with youth can be the parents who do not let their children speak for themselves. Other times, parents are wanting their children to fully take responsibility and deal with the experience on their own. I enjoy working with parents such as these.
Week 5- February 4th
This week I was given information regarding a National Crime Symposium taking place in New Orleans, LA. I am eager to see if I will be able to afford going later this month. The key note speakers seem very knowledgeable in several areas in the field of RJ and juvenile justice. I would hope to make some connections there in order to broaden the scope of speakers we are looking for for the potential RJ Conference in the coming years. It is important to always see what news is trending in this field, as it is always changing. Also, new people with innovative ideas are always popping up.
I have also been trying to get mediators on a couple of new cases we have received. I would love to get these cases completed as soon as possible. DYS has been on top of us regarding getting the agreements fulfilled (or not) in a timely manner. Not to say that they do not understand the several issues that prevent us from doing timely work on a daily basis, but our problems are usually related to the youth being lazy. It sounds bad to say that, but usually the kids are just procrastinating. So for me, there is only so much that I can do to encourage them to hurry up their community service hours or restitution payments. Restitution is also tricky, given the economic downturn. Many folks do not have the extra funds to pay for the neighbor's window that their child broke on top of everything else in their lives. For me, I just try and make things clear about what will happen if they do not fulfill the agreement they created.
I have also been trying to get mediators on a couple of new cases we have received. I would love to get these cases completed as soon as possible. DYS has been on top of us regarding getting the agreements fulfilled (or not) in a timely manner. Not to say that they do not understand the several issues that prevent us from doing timely work on a daily basis, but our problems are usually related to the youth being lazy. It sounds bad to say that, but usually the kids are just procrastinating. So for me, there is only so much that I can do to encourage them to hurry up their community service hours or restitution payments. Restitution is also tricky, given the economic downturn. Many folks do not have the extra funds to pay for the neighbor's window that their child broke on top of everything else in their lives. For me, I just try and make things clear about what will happen if they do not fulfill the agreement they created.
Week 4- January 28th
This week I was able to contact a few more offenders than I normally do whilst checking for updates on cases that we are still tracking. Usually, I have a hard time getting a hold of the youth once the mediation is completed. It is odd that they would be less willing to contact me during the stage of the process that affects them the most, the time when they do or do not complete the terms of the agreement. I know I always come back to the parenting, but it is such a factor when it comes to following through with the agreements. So many of the juveniles who do return calls appropriately and make the effort to get their agreements done on time, have supportive parents who are invested in their futures. I am often awed when I see parents who are MIA and do not care one way or the other about their children's future, especially given that their children are already in the system.
When thinking about my career goals, I would hope that as a PO, I would be able to help parents get a better idea of what to expect from their children's lack of cooperation (which translates into their own lack of cooperation). I know as a PO, the job description does not say advice-giver or psychologist, but I do think that many of the parents whose children are in the system are in need of some counseling. It is a shame that as a state and a country, we are not able to provide people with basic counseling to help people cope with the struggles of life in such a economically stressful environment. Those who are strapped for money are generally not worried about things such as counseling, instead, they worry about putting food on the table. This translates into a household that may or may not have the emotional support system appropriate for children.
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