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Upcoming Skill Building Opportunity this week

Dear Conflict Resolution Alliance (CRA) members – Please join us on Wednesday, August 25 at 12:00 PM Hawai’i time for the Hawai’i State Judiciary, Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution Virtual Brown Bag Series-Skills for Problem Solving on “Courageous Conversations” with Gretchen Alther, José Barzola, and Scott Nishimoto. Program Summary: Leaders are often called upon to facilitate meaningful, civil, and sometimes difficult conversations. Join us to learn about why such conversations are as important as ever, and experience how they can be structured. This highly interactive workshop will include a facilitated courageous conversation and tools for doing this in other spaces. This workshop is relevant for leaders working with teams and communities and anyone wanting to learn more about effective communication in challenging spaces. Additional information is included in the CourageousConversationsFlyer Register for the program at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CADRremote Co-sponsored in collaboration with Conflict Resolution Alliance • The Hawaiʻi State Bar Association – ADR Section • Matsunaga Institute for Peace & Conflict Resolution • Community Mediation Centers: Kaua’i Economic Opportunity, Inc. Mediation Program • Ku’ikahi Mediation Center• Maui Mediation Services • The Mediation Center of the Pacific • West Hawai’i Mediation Center To request disability-related accommodations, call the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution at (808) 539-4237. Please send inquiries to Cadr@courts.hawaii.gov, and please do not send inquiries via this email thread. The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information provided by the speaker. Nor do the speaker’s remarks necessarily reflect the opinions of the Judiciary. Look forward to having you join us at future events. Wishing you and your family good health. Stay safe, healthy, and resilient!

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News

Another Form of ADR

Aloha everyone, Hope you are enjoying your weekend. Our board of director, Thomas DiGrazia, wanted to share this New York Times article about another form of ADR in Peruvian Andes. Enjoy!  

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News

National Work Like A Dog Day

Aloha, Did you know that today is Work Like A Dog Day? We know that you are working hard everyday to resolve disputes and build peace in our community. (And there are lots of opportunities for our work everywhere.) Work Like a Dog Day is celebrated on August 5 and honors people who put in that extra bit of hard work. It is inspired by the reputed strong work ethic of canines, especially service dogs. Today, let’s pause to appreciate you and all the hard workers around you, who support your work!

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News

Sharing a Job Opportunity at CADR

Aloha, A job opportunity announcement for the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Director, is posted on the Hawaii State Judiciary’s website.  Job duties and requirements, and other information can be viewed on the Judiciary’s Exempt Employment Opportunities webpage.   If you are interested in this position, please email a cover letter, current resume, and references to:  Recruitment@courts.hawaii.gov or by mail to Hawaii State Judiciary, Human Resources Department, 426 Queen Street, Honolulu, HI 96813.   First consideration will be given to resumes received by Friday, July 23, 2021.

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Mediation Tips for Mediators Training

Mediator Training • Crafting a Positive, Comfortable and Safe Online Space for Mediation • Wiltgen & Chang

Happy Aloha Friday! We hope you are enjoying the end of your week! We have a very important event coming up on April 21, from 12:00pm-1:00pm. It is titled Crafting a Positive, Comfortable and Safe Online Space for Mediation. You’ll want to attend this timely training on virtual mediation with Tracey Wiltgen and Louie Chang. Registration link is below. Further details are in the attached flyer. Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 12 Noon – 1 PM Crafting a Positive, Comfortable and Safe Online Space for Mediation Presenters: Lou Chang, Mediator / Arbitrator, and Tracey Wiltgen, Executive Director, The Mediation Center of the Pacific Practitioners in the spectrum of ADR methods strive to create supportive climates for productive communication between disputing parties. While this is already a challenging goal in a traditional “in-person” environment, it becomes more difficult in a virtual setting devoid of the human touch. The cyber barrier in a virtual environment gives parties in conflict an even greater sense of detachment, and may lead to further disengagement. Lou Chang and Tracey Wiltgen will share experiences, perspectives, and ideas to help ADR practitioners explore the elements of virtual platforms.  New approaches for creating safe spaces, and how foster a hopeful, comfortable, and safe online environment for positive collaborative discussions, will be explored. Register by clicking here:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ComfySafeSpace This Virtual Brown Bag Session is Brought to you by: The Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution and Conflict Resolution Alliance We hope to see you there and wish you a wonderful rest of your day!

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News

Happy Spring CRA!

Good afternoon everyone and happy spring! During a season when birds are chirping and flowers are blooming, make time to take in all of the beauty that our planet provides us with every day. As the wise Echart Tolle says, “Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in Being. Allow nature to teach you stillness.” This coming month we have quite a few events, so get ready to check your schedule! On April 7th, from 9:00 am – 11:30 am, there is a FREE Cyber-Conference on Dispute Resolution. This is the 11th annual conference and we will be hearing from incredible speakers such as: Lorenn Walker: Restorative Practitioner and Professor at University of Hawaii Harold Gatensby: Community Leader and Cirlce Peace-Maker, Tlingit First Nation, Raven Clan, Yukon, Canada Mahmoud Khalili: Madrid’s Bircham International University John Cooper: Confict Resolution Consultant in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tanzania, and Kyrgyzstan Renata Valree: Former President of the National Association for Community Mediation, NCRP Professor, CSUDH Gerson Damiani: Director, Global Center for Peace Studies- University of Sao Paulo, Brazil The conference will be facilitated by Dr. Brian Jarrett and supports the work of those building safer and healthier communities all over the world. Further, the American Bar Association (ABA) is hosting a conference with a hybrid model with in-person programs and events in Los Angeles, CA as well as robust virtual options. The conference takes place from April 14-April 17. All in-person events will follow local and CDC public health guidelines and regulations. The theme of the 2021 Spring Conference is Agility, Disruption, and Reinvention: ADR in a New World.  This past year we have witnessed non-violent and violent confrontations, all in a highly contentious political environment. The 2021 conference will examine how…

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News

International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day everyone!  We hope you’re having a great start to the week. This is a reminder to love and uplift all of the women in your life. “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” –G.D. Anderson For the rest of this month we have a few new events on the calendar. This week on Wednesday the 11th, we have an event entitled Workplace Collaboration taking place from 12:00pm – 1:00pm where we will hear from Donna R. Ching, Ph.D. who will teach us tools to help embrace workplace collaboration. On March 12th an event entitled Practice Makes Permanent: Next Level Bystander Communication Skills is taking place from 8:00am – 12:00pm. We will be practicing our communication skills with Kimberly Dark, an award winning writer and storyteller who wants you to reclaim your power as a social creator to make the world a better place. The workshop is $50 and you must’ve participated in one or more of these prior trainings: Brilliant Bystander Unconscious Bias Linguistic Re-Framing Further, on March 16th from 12pm-1:30pm we have an event titled Beyond the Mute Button which will have us rethinking the need for physical presence in dispute resolution. This is an awesome free event where we will hear from many important mediations, lecturers, and facilitators. The last event on the calendar for this month is on March 18th and it’s entitled What is Excellence? Approaches to Merit and Distinction in Mediation. We will be hearing from Peter S. Adler Ph.D. who is a planner, mediator, facilitator, and a Principal at ACCORD3.0 which is a professional network of consultants specializing in foresight, strategy, and cooperative trouble-shooting. This is a free event taking place from 12:00pm-1:00pm, join us to hear…

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Events

National Random Acts of Kindness Day

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day, it is celebrated by individuals, groups and organizations nationwide to encourage acts of kindness. Here are some quick ideas to inspire kindness in you and those around you: Pay for the coffee or meal of the person in front of you in line. Leave a kind note for someone, no explanation needed. Share words of encouragement. You never know who might need them. We hope you all had a great long weekend and are staying safe and healthy. We are happy to hear COVID19 numbers lowering here in Honolulu and look forward to a time when we can all be together again! Unfortunately, weather conditions in a large portion of the mainland are becoming quite extreme, please join us in sending love and good thoughts towards those affected by the cold weather. This week we have two events coming up. Tomorrow, February 18th, we have a Free Brown Bag Lunch Talk with speaker Catherine Lampton from 12:00pm – 1:00pm. Catherine has a doctorate in ethical and creative leadership as well as a master’s in negotiation, conflict resolution, and peace building. She believes that we should all take more time time listen to each other in order to prevent future conflict. Join us and hear what she has to say! Our next event is entitled Bridging the Divide, on Friday, February 19th from 1:00pm – 2:00pm and we will hear from a few different speakers about training, preparing, and facilitating partnerships between host-country communities and Peace Corps volunteers in Guyana’s Education, Health, and Environment sectors. We hope to see you there! Remember, as Aesop said: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Have a great week!

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Tips for Mediators

Looking For Creative Peace-Building Ideas!

Dear CRA Friends and Members: On behalf of the CRA Board Subcommittee on Innovation, I would like to invite you to share any creative and innovative peacemaking and peace-building ideas you may have for the CRA in 2021. Please review my attached essay for some ideas and possible approaches for our organization to expand on its educative function in the conflict resolution field. Our other goal is to develop a professional cohort of peacemakers and builders who will have greater opportunities for being paid by government, organizations and individuals for their precious skills and pono energy in these culturally divided times. Please forward your ideas to Subcommittee chair, Tom DiGrazia @ digraziat001@gmail.com by 2/23/21. Mahalo for your good energy in this matter. In peace, Tom CRA POLL RESPONSE docx  

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News

Black History Month

  Hi everyone! We hope you are all safe, happy, and healthy this week. As you may know, this month is Black History Month, an important time to further our understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. For the rest of the month, we’re proposing the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge from www.eddiemoorejr.com. For 21 days, we encourage you to do one action to educate yourself and to actively unlearn racial bias. On the website linked below, you can find many different options in order to read, listen, watch, and engage in order to understand white privilege and white supremacy. You can also find a printable tracking chart in order to help you stay on course! https://www.eddiemoorejr.com/21daychallenge We also have another upcoming event entitled Bridging the Divide. It will take place on February 19th from 1-2pm and will include a talk-story with past Peace corps Language and Cultural Facilitator Fahzeela Mohamed. We will also be hearing from Damian Owens who served as a Peace Corps Health Education Facilitator in Guyana from 2015-2017. Stephanie Sang, the Peace Corps recruiter at UH Manoa who also served in Madagascar from 2016-2018 will be moderating the event. Join us for this free event! Remember, in order to change the world, we need to take the action into our own hands. “There is no social change fairy. There is only the change made by the hands of individuals.” –Winona LaDuke Have a fantastic day!