OVERVIEW

Mediators, facilitators, arbitrators, attorneys, consultants, teachers and researchers will convene May 18-19, 2007 at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina for a conference examining “The Emerging State of ADR: Conflict Resolution in South Carolina.” This bi-annual gathering is designed for those who work with conflict and dispute resolution in courts, communities, business, government, schools, social services and higher education.

Key questions and themes:

• How are conflict and dispute resolution programs helping South Carolinians improve the legal system, strengthen communities, address family matters constructively, increase effectiveness in business and government, improve schools and attend to major policy issues?
• How does South Carolina’s experience compare to developments in many other states and to the international context?
• What direction will this field take as it continues to evolve?

These and other questions will receive close attention during the two-day conference.  Use the links to register, and to see updated information about conference sessions and workshops.

Scope of Conference

Allconference sessions are about the practices, policies and procedures of conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution – AND – they are about how rapidly our field is changing and going “beyond ADR and CR.”  For example, 20 years ago, leading practitioners were debating the question, When is a dispute “ripe” for intervention by a mediator? That question assumed that mediators and facilitators had no role unless a conflict got bad enough and the parties desperate enough to enter mediated negotiations. We don’t ask that question much today.

 What we now ask is, What are the boundaries of our field? Are there no limits to the creative ways our toolkit of processes and methods can be applied to help people discuss concerns? Build relationships? Lead or energize organizations? Explore, understand, and respect differences? Empower people? Increase self-awareness and self-determination? Forge new policies? Seek community consensus? Enhance collaboration in all kinds of settings? Improve learning environments? And, of course, resolve disputes consensually and address conflicts productively.

Please register by Thursday May 10 to reserve conference materials and meals

Please check back for updates!