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Nonprofit Spotlight
Nonprofit Spotlight
The Community Mediation Center of Calvert County (CMCC) provides conflict management services and education to empower people to create and develop their own solutions. The nonprofit offers no-cost mediation sessions where a trained neutral person helps people communicate with and understand each other. This often allows people in conflict to reach an agreement that satisfies everyone's needs. The sessions are confidential spaces where participants can talk through their differences and decide on a situation's outcome. No referrals are necessary for scheduling mediation sessions. The nonprofit conducts mediation sessions with adults, youth, families, organizations, and more. It also facilitates conversations for agencies and community groups. The organization's mediation services are free and available in-person or online. They are offered during the day, during evenings, and on weekends.
"[The mediation sessions provided] a space to feel comfortable with expressing my wants and concerns." - Mediation Participant
The nonprofit offers a wide variety of mediation sessions for individuals and groups. Community mediation sessions help resolve conflicts between family members, co-workers, businesses, and more. Separation and divorce mediation sessions help the people involved create a plan for separating or divorcing, which can include parenting and property agreements. Pretrial mediation sessions let litigants create the solution to their conflict before their trial date. This can save the parties involved from the time and cost of going to court. The organization also offers restorative justice as an alternative to suspensions, expulsions, or incarceration.
"[The mediation sessions allowed for] wildly successful conversation, and I'm eternally grateful that the Mediation Center was there for us." - Mediation Participant
The nonprofit also provides services for students and schools, as well as restorative practices and circle programs. For example, social-emotional learning circles help classrooms in Calvert County's schools develop a sense of community and belonging for students. Attendance mediation sessions support communication between families and schools so they can identify the underlying issues behind and make plans to improve student school attendance. Additionally, community conferences address incidents of harm in schools, communities, and the justice system. The people involved meet with a facilitator to discuss what happened, how everyone was affected, how to repair the harm, and how to prevent it from happening again. Information about these mediation services and more is available on CMCC's website.
"'We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon.' I often think of this quote when going into a mediation session. In each case, participants are empowered to recognize the horizons of the other party, and this helps them relate to each other and find areas of reconciliation." - Janet, Mediator
The nonprofit relies on its professionally trained volunteer mediators to conduct its services. Members of the public can become volunteer mediators, and the next available training will be offered in the spring. The process involves taking basic mediation training, which includes a two-hour orientation, 40 hours of study and practice, and an apprenticeship. Volunteers must work for 40 hours per year for two years by providing mediation services, helping with events, and participating in workshops and training. In addition to volunteers, the nonprofit is also looking for new board members to support the organization.
"[Conducting mediation sessions] has allowed me the opportunity to volunteer in my community even while managing the demands of family and work. I am able to mediate in the evenings and/or on weekends and have found mediation a great way to give back." - LaShanna, Mediator
The nonprofit is supported in part by a grant from the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office. The grant requires that the nonprofit receive additional funds based on donations from the community. All donations go directly toward helping CMCC continue offering free professional mediation and conflict resolution services and events throughout Calvert County. The public can make monetary donations of any amount by using the "donate" button on CMCC's website. People can also give in-kind gifts by calling the nonprofit at (443) 295-7456.
For more information, visit the nonprofit's website or Facebook profile.
The information used in this article was collected from Sheri Tardio, the executive director of CMCC, as well as the nonprofit's website.
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