Charity AGM hears Chair call for new Trustees

Mediation Plus newly re-elected Chair of Trustees, John Gallop, used his fifth annual report to the charity’s Annual General Meeting this month to call for new Trustees to come forward to help the organisation develop and change over the next few years. John has been Chair of Trustees for Mediation Plus - the community mediation service covering Eastbourne, Wealden and Lewes - since it achieved charitable status in 2006 and was instrumental in helping to set up the original pilot local mediation project in 1999.

Explaining how he became involved, John said “My interest in mediation grew from my work at the time in pollution control at Wealden District Council. We were dealing with many complaints and neighbour disputes which we recognised could be better resolved by getting people talking to each other. Some people find it more difficult to talk openly if the Council is involved. So with the help of a government grant and the assistance of several other bodies, including the local Police, Social Services and the CAB we set up an independent mediation service based in Hailsham.”

Although John left the Council in 2010, his interest and involvement with Mediation Plus has continued as the service has grown over the past five years. “Having helped to set up the service I soon realised that, on a personal level, acting as a Trustee is an excellent way to give something back to the community,” added John. “I don’t believe that I necessarily have the skills to act as a mediator – they do a wonderful job for the service – but I can help to guide the charity and oversee its business activities.”

Currently Mediation Plus has just four Trustees to guide and maintain the service but is very keen to recruit new people to the Board, particularly those who might bring in ideas for developing the service or have a professional background in business, finance or legal services. From his experience, John believes that some of the basic skills for new Trustees would be a knowledge of and commitment to mediation; good communication skills; links to the local community, or local agencies; an interest or understanding of how charities operate and their financing and funding processes.

The Charity Commission estimates there are over 100,000 Trustee positions in charities across England and Wales, but just 0.5% are aged between 18 and 24. John added, “We want to create a Trustee Board with a diverse range of interests, age and background, which will give us the best possible chance for maintaining and developing the charity.”

Anyone interested in becoming a Trustee should contact Mediation Plus on 01323 442781 or email info@mediation-plus.org.uk.

Mediation Plus AGM 2011

The 2011 Annual General Meeting of Mediation Plus will be held at our Hailsham offices at Southview in Western Road on Monday 14th November at 7pm. Observers from our partners and stake-holders are welcome to attend the meeting - please RSVP to info@mediation-plus.org.uk or call the office on 01323 442781.

Mediation Plus become nationally recognised Training Provider

Mediation Plus – the community mediation service covering Eastbourne, Wealden and Lewes - has successfully achieved Training Provider Status with Open College Network London Region. This new development will enable Mediation Plus to offer accredited courses in Mediation and related conflict resolution and communication skills. All training will be delivered at level 3 and offer the participants the opportunity to benefit from the experience and knowledge of their team of mediators.

The Open College Network is a not-for-profit registered charity, which comprises nine regional networks across England. With over 25 years experience in the education sector, they lead the market in the recognition of achievement through credit-based units and qualifications, delivered to learners from 14 years upwards. Dedicated to widening participation, social inclusion, employer engagement and lifelong learning for all, they support flexible, responsive and quality assured learning opportunities.

Joan Eades, Training Development Manager at Mediation Plus said “We are delighted to now be able to offer our courses as nationally recognised qualifications, which reflects the level of professionalism of the training we have been providing our mediators for many years. It also gives us the flexibility to offer Continuing Professional Development not only to our mediators, but to other organisations, businesses or individuals in our area.”

The first accredited course, Developing Mediation Theory and Practice Skills, will be held at the Mediation Plus offices in Hailsham on November 19^th, 26th and December 3^rd. The course will cover step-by-step mediation process, how to use different questioning styles, encouraging participation in mediation, confidentiality and impartiality, and ethical and professional standards

Anyone interested in booking a place on the course should contact Joan Eades at Mediation Plus on 01323 442781 or email info@mediation-plus.org.uk for an application pack.

The Secret Life of a Mediator...

If you have ever wondered what being a mediator is all about or why people get involved with our organisation, then take a look at the interview published with Groombridge based mediator Trevor Harris that appeared in the Kent and Sussex Courier last week on the Press page in our website.

If you are interested in training to become a mediator, either with Mediation Plus or learning the skills for your own profession or practice, then there are still a few places left on our next accredited Mediation Skills training course running in November. For more information call us on 01323 442781.

Mediation Training Open Morning, October 8th

Mediation Plus are holding an Open Morning on Saturday 8th October for anyone interested in training to become a mediator. We will be running our next accredited Mediation Skills training course at the end of October, and the event is an opportunity to meet some of the service's existing mediator team, trustees and managers, and find out more about mediation.

The course is open to anyone looking to acquire mediation skills and will be offered at a heavily discounted rate for those who wish to become volunteer mediators with Mediation Plus after qualifying. The open morning runs from 10am to 12noon at Southview, Western Road, in Hailsham. For further information call Mediation Plus on 01323 442781 or visit www.mediation-plus.org.uk.

Mediation Plus out and about

The Mediation Plus team have been out and about this week letting people know about the services we offer. Service Development Manager Clive Gross was a guest speaker at the Eatbourne and Wealden Landlords Forum talking about how mediation can help resolve disputes between Landlords and Tenants without having to resort to the Courts, while Time2Talk coordinator Joan Eades was at the Fresher's Fair at Sussex Downs College in Lewes, talking to staff and students about our intergenerational mediation service.

If you organise an event and would be interested in having us along to explain more about who we are and what we do, please get in touch!

Mediation series on BBC3?

We've recently been helping a TV production company with some background research into a proposal for a series about young people going through mediation for BBC3, based on our intergenerational mediation service Time2Talk. The proposal is now in and, should it get commissioned, we hope to be involved with the development of the series as it progresses. Watch this space!