Community is a broad term used to represent the larger groups that individuals associate and engage with. Examples include neighborhoods, volunteer organizations, churches, schools, and more. “Community” is any group of people drawn together by common interests or needs. These groups can bring a wonderful sense of belonging and satisfaction. However, shared interests or passion may turn into frustration when there isn’t an agreed upon path for meeting the mission and objective of the group. These scenarios can be particularly troubling and escalate quickly because of the combination of personal interests and potential threat to the mission of the group.

There are many different types of dispute resolution engagements for groups seeking support, and it’s important to find the right one for the situation and organization involved. So, every potential engagement begins with a free consultation to:

  • Assess the situation.
  • Provide information about what options are potentially available, including outside of ACS when applicable.
  • If suitable, propose a potential framework for moving forward together.
  • Ensure all parties are comfortable with the proposed approach.

ACS tends toward a Transformative Restorative approach when possible. While it isn’t always suitable, we find the foundational principles to be broadly relevant and valuable as a guide within flexible frameworks that can be uniquely designed and applied.

The Transformative approach emphasizes the importance of understanding that informs agreements. Flexibility and/or review is built into the agreements to ensure they can be revised if needed. Finally, agreements are fortified with how people will be held accountable to the commitments they’ve made.

Restorative Practice focuses on the following basic questions at its core:

  1. What happened?
  2. Who was impacted?
  3. How were they impacted?
  4. What needs to happen to make things right? (i.e., What needs to happen for restoration?)

Approaching conflict in this way moves away from blame without sacrificing accountability.  Additionally, everyone is taken into account throughout the entire process. It isn’t about penalty or punishment; it’s about resolving the problems that led to the conflict(s). Another benefit of this practice is that even while working through the conflict, connection often begins to be reestablished because people are working together.

Leveraging a Transformative Restorative Practice approach offers the space and foundation for community members to address the challenges before them with empathy and lasting practical solutions.

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Mediation In Community - Allen Conflict Solutions

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Allen Conflict Solutions