As the field of mediation develops in the Caribbean, UWI has pioneered in-house mediation programs, team training and dispute system design which reflect the true needs of organizations and institutions.

One of the key resources at the Mediation Unit is Tom Kalpatoo, who has brought extensive international mediation experience to the Mediation Studies Unit and heads the Conflict Resolution Certificate Training Programme. Kalpatoo is also a lecturer in the Post Graduate Diploma in Mediation Studies and is responsible for the Mediation Practicum in the Postgraduate Programme.

According to Kalpatoo, “The public training initiative has provided our graduates with coaching opportunities and a way to enhance their continued skill development. Along with the field experience our graduates receive, 12 coaches are part of a ‘Train the Trainers’ programme, which will produce trainers with a high degree of competency by July 2007.”

The Unit Coordinator, Dr. Linda Hadeed, has also played a key role in reaching out to the community with solid support from Dr. Kathleen Valtonen, Head of Behavioural Sciences and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Dr. Hamid Ghany.

The Mediation Unit is also seeking to build mediation expertise in the wider Caribbean by offering certificate programmes in Mediation in other islands.

According to Kalpatoo: “By empowering participants to take responsibility for resolving conflicts which affect their daily lives and the lives of their stakeholders, UWI can play a critical role in building peaceful communities, schools, organizations and institutions.”

A sampling of comments from participants at recent training sessions conducted by the Unit indicated that they developed an ability to effectively deal with daily issues at work by using mediation principles and strategies for a wide range of interventions in the workplace.

Listening and summarizing were frequently cited as the key skills to manage agendas and guide disputants closer to resolving issues which affected them. The importance of developing the skills of managing anger, high emotion and resistance were seen as valuable tools for experienced practitioners.

Many felt that these sessions were timely, given issues which are present in the national landscape. Though the programme was intense, the highest accolades were given for the quality of instruction, the instructors, the relevance of training materials and atmosphere in which the sessions were conducted.

Mediation was viewed as a more humane way to deal with issues in the workplace, schools and in the justice system and should be explored before matters get out of hand in societal conflicts. Participants commented on the collective wisdom built through the sessions in a warm atmosphere, great learning environment and a very good comfort level.