Conflicts which arise in Caribbean societies have traditionally been resolved through the process of litigation. There is, however, an alternative approach known as mediation. This is why a Mediation Studies Unit has been established as an initiative of the Department of Behavioural Sciences in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Through mediation training this unit, located at Deane House on Deane Street, St. Augustine, hopes to build expertise through individuals and communities which would assist in strengthening conflict resolution processes and options. The Unit regards the empowerment of citizens to take an active role in resolving conflicts which affect them directly as something which, in time, can become a valuable social instrument for all citizens.

Mediation is relatively new to the Caribbean, and early efforts at mediation focused on government-sponsored programmes within the justice system beginning in the 1990s.

The Post Graduate Diploma in Mediation Studies began in 2003 at UWI and public training is a natural extension designed to serve professionals who wanted short-term training, to build needed skills in the workplace. A certificate course has therefore, been established.

In responding to the need for new mechanisms to resolve conflict, the UWI Certificate training programme is designed to provide locally developed expertise and while bringing specialized conflict resolution knowledge to the table.

It is expected that mediation expertise will contribute to resolving some of the chronic conflict which we see in our newspapers daily.

The use of face-to-face mediation is suitable for organizations, family, church-based, stakeholder, environmental, neighbours and school-based conflict. Other intervention tools offered in the training include circle processes for restorative justice applications, facilitated meetings for large group conflict and a wide range of other mediation strategies designed for resolving disputes in NGO’s, sports and juvenile facilities.

Training offered to the public in the first half of 2006, attracted a cross-section of participants, including justice officials, community leaders, church leaders, lawyers, corporate executives, government officials, policy makers, human resources personnel, prison officials, union officials, department heads, foreign service personnel and education administrators.

The sessions which were delivered on campus allowed participants to learn, experience, and work with the foundation skills of mediation practice and to participate in experiential activities such as simulated conflict scenarios from situations drawn from local and regional sources.

The Mediation Studies Unit has designed training for Caribbean environments, which takes into account culture, gender and other social factors unique to local environments.

The courses offered are part of a wider Conflict Resolution Certificate Training programme in which a Mediation Level Two is offered along with Conflict Resolution for Educational Settings, Restorative Justice, Mediation for Sports Conflicts and Resolving Church based Conflict.

Other courses planned for 2006/2007 include a five-day Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programme for justice officials, a Family Mediation Course and a Community Mediation Programme.

On the drawing board also are a peace building course designed to serve Caribbean nationals working in peace initiatives in the region and around the world and a new course in Mediating Environmental Disputes.

Mediation training at UWI is targeted to give participants an insight and understanding of the unique nature of how conflict plays out in the Caribbean in contrast to the prescriptive formulae often offered by transient trainers.

In addition to concepts, models and theories used in contemporary mediation training, UWI offers cutting edge techniques for resolving conflict. The Mediation Training Programme also integrates indigenous dispute resolution models applicable to Caribbean environments.

The Mediation Studies Unit is actively working to build partnerships with state institutions, the labour movement, the education system, the corporate sector, the justice system and community groups to build mediation expertise for the resolution of conflicts in these arenas.

Skill development is the key ingredient in the UWI Courses. The skills taught in the programme are presented in various modes including fishbowl exercises, pairs and small learning groups, lecturettes, simulated exercises, role plays and presentations by key learning informants drawn from the conflict resolution fields. Not only do participants build the essential mediation skills, but they also build a foundation of commonly used mediation models and understand “why they do what they do.”

In Mediation Level Two course, professional actors are used to bring the development experience closer to reality. Participants are videotaped and have the opportunity to assess their mediation skills together with an experienced mediator.

In the Level One course, Mediation Essential Skills participants attend for five consecutive days. The training objectives for the participants are as follows:

1. Build an understanding of conflict, conflict resolution options and work towards a level of proficiency in the use of mediation skills for mediating disputes in a variety of setting.
2. Work with essential interest-based models and build an understanding of conflicts styles and strategies and techniques for working with a wide range of disputants.
3. Understand communication dynamics in resolving conflict and the essential skills for working with anger and different types of emotions in the mediation process. Participants receive hands-on supervised practice in simulated mediation scenarios.

Public training is closely aligned with the Post Graduate Diploma in Mediation Studies. This successful one-year programme started in 2003 and the Master of Science in Mediation is scheduled to on come stream in September 2006.

The Core education pieces are based on real life situations and public events which require solutions, and which are mutually acceptable to the parties in conflict.

The programmes have all been designed to make high quality learning relevant to the way in which universities work as part of the community at large, and provide skill and expertise which benefit people and communities directly through the work of our participants.