By Thomas DiGrazia The ACR Hawai`i is calling all peacemakers to volunteer to provide peacemaking services on Oahu to government entities and officials in need of assistance to help resolve public policy disputes. Here is a recent example: The facilitation services several of its members provided to the Kailua Neighborhood Board’s Subcommittee on Homelessness At the instigation of Sen. Laura Thielen and invitation of the Kailua Neighborhood Board, an experienced team of professional peacemakers over an eight to nine month period, assisted the two Subcommittee co-chairs and community participants in designing, organizing and implementing a facilitation process to address the Kailua community’s homelessness challenge in an initially contentious atmosphere. At our first meeting, the room seemed to be divided into two camps. One camp wanted the homeless just to leave and the other camp wanted to help the homeless not be homeless. There were some immediate safety concerns that were referred to law enforcement and the mental health providers. What our team provided was a calming down facilitation process in which each side was given the opportunity to listen and be listened to. We worked together using a very light facilitation touch in keeping the meeting very peaceful and positive. The ACRH members supported the diverse stakeholders participating in the Subcommittee’s work to better respect each other’s points of view; find connection on homeless issues and programs; educate themselves through expert advice and information; and begin to find local solutions and remedies to the challenges represented in the Kailua homeless population. Each facilitation team member spent approximately 5-7 hours per month engaged in this project. A testimonial in support of the ACRH members’ contributions to the project by the Subcommittee’s co-chair can be viewed, below. At a time when the need for community members to be heard and channel their energies…
Category: News
Looking for a career in resolving conflicts and advocating for peaceful conflict resolution? There is an new opening on the Big Island. The West Hawaii Mediation Center is looking for a Conflict Resolution Coordinator! Job description is here.
Let’s celebrate peace at Hiroshima Peace Bell Ceremony on August 6, 2018 in Honolulu! Join us for a special Interfaith Group Choir to lead the singing of “Imagine” at the close of the ceremony. This is a free event. Hiroshima Peace Bell Ceremony Monday August 6, 2018 11:00 am -12:00 Noon Izumo Taishakyo Mission 215 N Kukui St, Honolulu, HI 96817
The Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR) is looking for qualified candidates for their Research Analyst position. Exempt Appointment (Non-Civil Service), Full-time, Temporary Location: Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR), Honolulu, Oahu Salary: $4,968 per month effective July 1, 2018 Duties: This position provides technical assistance on Judiciary alternative dispute resolution programs, with an emphasis on the planning, development, implementation and oversight of the online dispute resolution program. For details and application instruction, visit CADR website.
by Micah Fisher and Tina Sablan Synopsis by the authors: Environmental conflict is complex and variable, and over time, a concerted field has developed to study processes for collaboration and resolution. This article examines the evaluations of multistakeholder collaborative processes underpinning the field of Environmental Conflict Resolution (ECR). Specifically, we analyze ECR evaluations from over four decades, across different approaches, geog- raphies, and scales. We also corroborate our findings through interviews and discussions with key scholars and practitioners in the field. We highlight the valuable empirical data from evaluations and point to a three-pronged approach for reinvigorating evaluations that support prac- titioners and projects and promote broader ideals of ECR collaboration. Fisher M, Sablan T. Evaluating environmental conflict resolution: Practitioners, projects, and the movement. Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2018;1–13. The authors credited ACR-Hawai‘i Board member and officer Anne Marie Smoke, among others, with providing “invaluable advice and guidance throughout the course” of the study. Read the article
TO: ACR HAWAII MEMBERS FR: ACR HAWAII BOARD OF DIRECTORS RE: VOLUNTEER ASSISTANCE TO WINDWARD NEIGHBORHOOD BOARDS DATE: MAY 11, 2018 “Come, my friends, ‘tis not too late to seek a newer world.” Dear Friends and Members: The ACR Hawaii Board is considering offering pro bono peacemaking and facilitation services to three Neighborhood Boards on the Windward side of Oahu—Waimanalo, Kaneohe, and Kahaluu. We want to know if you will be a part of this proposed project to assist these Boards in providing a safe and peaceful environment for conducting community-wide facilitations regarding challenging—and often contentious—public policy issues. These public policy issues may include vacation rentals, homelessness, and our island’s ability to host ever-increasing numbers of tourists, just to name a few controversial issues. On an experimental basis, ACR Hawaii members are presently providing pro bono peacemaking and facilitation services to the Kailua Neighborhood Board’s Subcommittee on Homelessness. Although this Kailua project is an ongoing experiment, the feedback from participants and co-chairs of the Subcommittee has been most complimentary. They have praised the vital assistance provided by our ACR volunteers to the community, and assisting Subcommittee participants in having a reasoned, non-conflicted dialogue regarding solutions to homelessness in Kailua. The ACR Board’s thinking is that we peacemakers can be of critical assistance in helping to frame and facilitate difficult community conversations on very important public matters. We are living in political and social times in which conversations among community members are often inefficient and inconclusive at best and tribal and hostile at worst. Such dysfunctional community conversations have contributed to the often-political gridlock and indecisiveness of our public officials on critical issues facing all of us. It is long past the time when we peacemakers need to step up and offer our skills, expertise, and…
Indigenous Conflict Resolution: Practice and Integration Watch on ʻŌlelo: 5/1/2018 10:00AM OLELO49 5/2/2018 1:30 PM OLELO49 5/3/2018 2:00 PM OLELO49 5/4/2018 6:00 PM OLELO49 Indigenous conflict resolution practices, including hoʻoponopono and native peacemaking, have been utilized by both Native Hawaiian and Native American groups to address conflict in families and the greater community. A distinguished panel of legal academics, practitioners, and peacemakers probes the possibilities and implications of integrating indigenous conflict resolution practices in the practice of law and the court system. See the flyer: Indigenous Conflict Resolution – OLELO AIRDATES May 1- 4, 2018
Yes, it’s this week! Join an Online Forum The National Week of Conversation April 20-28, 2018 NationalWeekOfConversation.org Revitalizing America Together In addition to all the in-person events happening this week during the National Week of Conversation, there are many online forums covering a wide variety of topics and issues. It’s not too late to register to participate in one or more online forums. The online forums and discussions are being organized and conducted by a variety of groups and partners, including the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), which is using the Common Ground for Action platform. Click here to see a list of the online forums and discussions that are scheduled during this National Week of Conversation. What is the National Week of Conversation (NWOC)? One week in which people all over America participate in conversations that prioritize understanding the other across political, social-economic and cultural divides. Individuals will participate at public events or in private groups in libraries, community centers, schools, clubs, online video conferences, restaurants and homes. National media coverage, social media campaigns and participating organizations will build awareness and engagement. Who’s behind it? NWOC is a project of Bridge Alliance Education Fund, staffed by volunteers from AllSides, Listen First Project, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, National Institute for Civil Discourse, Living Room Conversations, and Big Tent Nation. In October 2017, a group of 20 leaders were hosted by Chicago Community Trust to design a national conversation project. The National Week of Conversation is the initial offering and 2018 is the inaugural event. Funding: Organizing partners have donated their expertise, time and resources to make this event possible. National Week of Conversation is a project of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund, which paid for the event website. All other resources have been donated. My apologies for the lateness of this post.
Dear ACR Hawaii Members – You are invited to view a free special video presentation of Native Hawaiian Peacemaking Concepts featuring Beadie Kanahele Dawson at The Judiciary History Center Theater. May 1, 2018, Tuesday Check in: 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. Program: Noon to 2:15 p.m. The Judiciary History Center Theater Hawai`i Supreme Court, Ali`iolani Hale, First Floor 417 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawai`i 96813 Approved for One (1) CLE credit hour and One (1) Ethics credit hour. Seating is limited. RSVP by Monday, April 16: CADR@courts.Hawaii.gov or call 539-4237. Attorneys: For CLE credit, please provide HSBA Bar No. This is an encore presentation via video of a live presentation given in March 2017. Note that CLE credit for attending the presentation can only be obtained once. Please see the attached announcement for details. Sponsors: Hawai`i State Judiciary Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution; Native Hawaiian Bar Association; Hawai`i State Bar Association, ADR & Litigation Sections; The Association of Conflict Resolution – Hawai`i; and The Mediation Center of the Pacific, Inc. To request disability-related accommodations, or obtain directions, please call the Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution at 539-4237. Mahalo for promoting conflict resolution.
A Forum by National Issues Forums Sponsored by: Accord 3.0 (Refreshments courtesy of Accord 3.0) Hawaii State Judiciary Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution The College of Social Sciences at The University of Hawaii at Manoa The Mediation Center of the Pacific Pacific Gateway Center What are the Issues? The immigration issue affects virtually every American, directly or indirectly, often in deeply personal ways. This guide is designed to help people deliberate together about how we should approach the issue. The three options presented here reflect different ways of understanding what is at stake and force us to think about what matters most to us when we face difficult problems that involve all of us and that do not have perfect solutions. The issue raises a number of difficult questions, and there are no easy answers. The concerns that underlie this issue are not confined to party affiliation, nor are they captured by labels like “conservative” or “liberal.” The research involved in developing the guide included interviews and conversations with Americans from all walks of life, as well as surveys of nonpartisan public-opinion research, subject-matter scans, and reviews of initial drafts by people with direct experience with the subject. WHEN: April 4, 2018 TIME: 5:00 – 5:30 Registration & Refreshments • 5:30 – 7:30 FORUM WHERE: Hawaii State Capitol, 4555 S. Beretania St., Room 225 COST: FREE RSVP: Please register by March 16, 2018. Click here for the Eventbrite Link. Download the Flyer QUESTIONS: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UHM Phone: 956-7381 For more information go to: Coming to America Issues Guide Free Moderator Training Monday April 2, 2018 5-7:30pm University of Hawaii, Saunders Hall Rm 116 In preparation for the “Coming To America” Forum on April 4, you are also invited to join a moderator training in facilitating community…