Peace in Our Backyard

If you could pick one thing to work for, to squeeze in time for, what would it be?

What moves me is the power of reconciliation- the return of harmony to relationships. Imagine replacing the ripples of anger, frustration and bitterness with ripples of harmony and peace by replacing conflict with reconciliation. For over 25 years, Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center has been dedicated to bringing peace to our community. They have a roster of highly trained and dedicated staff and volunteers, working in a variety of settings across our community from homes and schools to workplaces and prisons, to foster reconciliation through peaceful resolution of conflict.

 I have been active at the center for about five years. I began as a Parenting Plan Mediator, helping separating parents craft a plan for how to parent moving forward. What keeps me coming back is not just helping families create their plans, but watching parents adopt more peaceful ways to communicate with one another about their children. I think about families having less stress and more openness. I also volunteer as a Re-Entry Mediator, facilitating conversation between incarcerated people and those in their support network, to plan for the transition from detention to release. I had no idea that there is no way to have private conversation, no safe space for open and honest conversations out of earshot of others. Re-entry mediation respects the dignity of people, by offering a confidential space to address often wrenching and difficult topics.

The magic for me, across all of the types of mediation I’ve done, is that the participants have equal opportunity to speak, are listened to with equal respect, and come up with solutions on their own. This process arms participants with new tools for addressing conflict peaceably. I know that reconciliation can happen when people are heard, respected, and trusted to come up with their own solutions to conflict.

Funding for the center has been disrupted in many ways due to COVID. I would be grateful for any support you can give to this crowdfunding effort to support peace in our backyard.