Mediation Capacity Building with Liberian Diaspora Communities: Some Observations

Authors

Maria R. Volpe, John Jay College
Bradley L. Roth, Mediators Beyond Borders International

Abstract

The focus of this article will be on elucidating an initiative that has involved multiple partnerships, sensitivity to cultural differences, local-global interactions, work with diaspora communities, adaptation of mediation training programs, dedicated volunteerism, and concerns about sustainability. Central to all of the activities is an explicit resolve by the mediators involved to understand and appropriately respond to the parties' contexts when providing mediation expertise. John Paul Lederach has referred to this method as a mix of prescriptive and elicitive approaches. In sum, the trainers used their expertise as both mediators and trainers to be conscious of and sensitive to the trainees' cultural traditions and familiar approaches to dispute resolution. The participants have a rich tradition of managing conflicts informally but were eager to learn how they could better assist parties in resolving their disputes. Overall, the approach used resonated with the question Lederach raised when working across different cultures: "How do we foster a pedagogical project that empowers people to participate in creating appropriate models for handling conflict in their own context?"

Disciplines

Comparative and Foreign Law | Dispute Resolution and Arbitration | International Law | Law

Recommended Citation

Maria R. Volpe & Bradley L. Roth, Mediation Capacity Building with Liberian Diaspora Communities: Some Observations, 19 Cardozo J. Conflict Resol. 709 (2018).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cjcr/vol19/iss3/6