News
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Service Spotlight: January 2025
Family and Community Mediation Argyll & Bute
Our service has been mediating in Argyll & Bute since 2004, throughout this time we have supported many families through times of crisis.
We are the second largest local authority area in Scotland with a vast area of 690,946 hectares that consists of four main regions: Bute & Cowal, Oban/Lorn & Isles, Mid Argyll/Kintyre & Islands and Helensburgh & Lomond. 47.2% is classed as rural, this area includes 28 inhabited islands with an total population of 85,953.
We have continually offered both in-person and online mediation as a rule due to the region’s demographics. Although, online mediation came to the forefront in 2020 after the first lockdown. All mediators received additional training to accommodate the demand for online mediation during this difficult time.
Listening to our learners
Last month all the trainers at the Scottish Community Mediation Centre met to review the previous six month’s training. We looked at what had worked well and explored what could be revised. In doing so, we read through the dozens of evaluations that learners had completed at the end of their course.
What stood out consistently was how much learners took away from the training. Whether it was having a difficult conversation with a work colleague, finding different ways to support clients or negotiating with a family member, people told us how helpful they found the skills taught.
This is always reassuring, but it highlighted an important point. Four years after we applied our expertise and experience to adapt our training materials for online delivery, it reaffirmed the positives of using online training as a training format.
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.
First podcast published
Today we’re delighted to launch our first podcast. In this series, we look at the origins of community mediation in Scotland and the Scottish Community Mediation Centre and explore how both have evolved over the past few decades.
Speaking with Ian McDonough, our lead trainer and the person who created the Centre and oversaw its development for many years
2024 and beyond
2024 and beyond
Often this time of year is seen as providing a moment for reflection as well as a time to plan ahead, and this year is no exception. However, for us at the Scottish Community Mediation Centre some things are new this year. 2024 saw the launch of our new website, new LinkedIn and BlueSky accounts and a fresh perspective on the courses we offer. Feedback from learners makes our job so worthwhile and reinforces our belief that what we deliver in training matters to people.
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