A group of nine
participants have successfully completed the first pilot community outreach mediationskills training course run by Mediation Plus at the Willingdon Trees Community
Centre last week.
Supported by funding
from the Sussex Community Foundation, Mediation Plus adapted their accredited
mediation course to meet the needs of learners from a wide range of backgrounds
who would benefit from having these skills in their professional and working
lives.
The group included a
Community Officer and Neighbourhood Advisor from Eastbourne Borough Council, a
PCSO who helps co-ordinate the Police to response to neighbour disputes, two
volunteers from a local community drop-in centre, an agency nurse, and local a
provider of accommodation to ex-offenders.
Mediation Plus
Service Manager Clive Gross commented “This successful pilot course demonstrates
just how much value mediation skills can have in so many different areas, and
we are really pleased that we have been able to deliver them to people who are
supporting so many different groups in the local community.”
The new mediators all
completed the twelve week training and will now have the opportunity to work
with members of Mediation Plus’s experienced mediation team taking on new cases
across Eastbourne to practice their skills and work to complete their full
accreditation from the Open College Network.
Joan Eades, Training
Manager at Mediation Plus said “We have been looking at how we can offer
mediation training in the wider community to people who would not be able to
attend our regular volunteer training courses and have been delighted that we
have been able to work with people from such diverse backgrounds in our first
course. We are very keen to build on this in the future.”
Mediation Plus would
like to hear from other community and voluntary groups, front-line support
organisations or individuals who think they could benefit from gaining
mediation skills so they can look to develop further courses. Anyone interested
should contact Joan Eades at Mediation Plus on 01323 442781 or email training@mediation-plus.org.uk for an
initial discussion.
