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Thursday, November 6, 2008

Mediation Services seeks volunteer mediators

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Why choose mediation?

Bob Williams and Ron Robinson from the Kansas Community Mediation Services explains how mediators have benefited the state and how you can be a volunteer.

Volunteers sought

Kansas Community Mediation Services invite the public to attend mediation training and become a volunteer mediator. A schedule of classes and prices can be found at KSCommunityMediation.com. You can learn more by calling (785) 232-4144.

Many people experience difficulties when dealing with conflict, but some don't know there's help out there for those struggling to reach a resolution.

Kansas Community Mediation Services provides facilitation between participates in the mediation.

"What's important is in Kansas, mediation is governed by laws and statutes; so, it's strictly confidential," Kansas Community Mediation Services President Bob Williams said. "We can't be subpoenaed. Our records can't be subpoenaed."

The organization works to help resolve issues between victims and offenders, employees, and parents and children. They also provide domestic mediation.

Williams said the use of mediation to resolve conflict was fairly new to the area. And, it has grown in popularity.

"We've had quite a lot of success," Mediation Services Executive Director Ron Robinson said. "Our victim/offender mediation, for example, last year we did 180 cases. In those 180 cases, we've been able to recover some restitution for the victims, almost $10,000."

Of the offenders involved in those cases only 2 percent re-offend.

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