News
Helping people in conflict
One of the pleasures of training people in mediation is seeing people learn new skills in handling conflict more constructively and gain confidence in using them during the course.
Our course has no prior learning requirements and we welcome everyone from all walks of life. Previous learners have included lawyers, academics, professionals from commercial organisations, housing, community safety, environmental and leisure services, community bodies, marketing and training - the list is endless. What they have in common is a wish to handle conflicts in a better way, and to help others who are in conflict. Many have heard of mediation or know someone in the field of mediation, whilst others are completely new to this area.
Our training provides a safe space for people to work together and support each other as they learn the principles and process of mediation. The training is highly interactive with lots of opportunities for learners to discuss, explore and practise – they are often surprised how much they ‘do’ rather than listen. It’s also our job as trainers to make the course fun! Since learners come from a variety of backgrounds and jobs, they bring a wealth of experiences and knowledge which they are encouraged to share with others during the course.
Reflection and recognition
Last week saw me meet up with several mediators from around Scotland; I was there to present a workshop on the mediator accreditation scheme, which is run by the Scottish Community Mediation Network.
One of the questions that I was asked was what are the benefits of becoming accredited? I based my answer on what other mediators have told me. I talked about the feeling of being assessed, and having someone external to your organisation assess you and acknowledge that you as a mediator are working to a high standard. I also talked about how the process itself allows mediators to step back and reflect on their practise as a whole; the lessons that they have learned and the skills that they have developed.
Latest Podcast now live!
We are pleased to announce that our latest podcast is now live. This is the final episode in a series of four podcasts, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Scottish Community Mediation Centre.
Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, this latest podcast explores how we met the challenge of changing a classroom-based course to an online one during the COVID-19 pandemic. It talks about some of the changes we made and the evolution of our training since then. You can listen to it here.
Time to Talk Day 2025
To mark Time to Talk day the Scottish Community Mediation Centre puts a spotlight on neighbour disputes and mental health.
Talk with neighbour or community mediators around Scotland, and eventually you will hear about the rise amongst their clients of mental health issues in the past few years. There may be a range of contributing factors, from increased social isolation through to how we view the world around us. But whatever the causes may be, when two neighbours are in conflict, the impact of this conflict on their lives and those closest to them often includes their mental health.
In thriving communities, neighbours will often positively engage with each other, look out for one another and talk through any difficulties that they may have between them in a practical and peaceful way. Where those connections, those relationships, have not been built the danger is that a difficulty between two neighbours becomes not just a source of conflict, but something that impacts on their mental health.
In Scotland, disputes about noise have been the single largest type of dispute that community mediators come across regularly. The impact of noise on someone’s quality of living, their relationships around them and their sleep can be significant.
Calendar of Events launched
We are pleased to say that our calendar of training events for 2025 is now launched.
New for this year is a series of workshops for mediators and restorative practitioners. Providing opportunities for continuing professional development, the first is on Mediation Theory and will be held in May.
We are offering an Early Bird Discount until the 14th February, with a reduced fee of £65.
More information can be found on our website.
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