General Info & History
Mediation Matters is a multi-faceted organization of volunteers and professionals dedicated to empowering individuals, communities, and families to manage and resolve conflict.
Our Work
Fundamentally, Mediation Matters seeks to increase the capability of our community to resolve conflict in ways that are non-adversarial and self-determined, these include…
Mediation
Mediation cases are coordinated by a staff of dedicated professionals who handle the intake of cases from a variety of sources such as courts, social service organizations, government agencies, businesses, and individuals.
Mediations are facilitated by a diverse pool of volunteer mediators. Mediators are trained to be neutral, objective, confidential, and purposeful in helping people navigate their conflicts. Mediators undertake 30 hours of basic mediation training, go through our apprenticeship process, and continue to receive specialized trainings in different facets of conflict resolution.
Most mediation services are provided at little to no cost for community members and our fee based services are effective and affordable. Our services are available to all residents & organizations of Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington Counties.
Please visit the About Mediation page and look through the pages to learn more.
Facilitation
Our staff, volunteers, and network of alternative dispute resolution professionals facilitate group discussions to help mediate community, workplace, and multi-party disputes. These kinds of situations can take on multiple forms to fit the context of the situation such as large community discussions, smaller multi-party disputes, and restorative justice circles.
For more information about these kinds of services please visit the Community Matters page.
Training
In addition to providing trainings for people to become mediators, we also provide conflict resolution skills trainings in a variety of settings. Examples include workplaces, community organizations, institutions of higher education, youth organizations, schools, and more.
For more information about our training offerings, please visit the Training Services page.
Funding and Membership
Funding for our services comes from The New York State Unified Court System and other sources. This funding allows us to provide our services at no or low cost to participants.
We are part of the Community Dispute Resolution Centers Program that provides services throughout the state. We are also members of the New York State Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) and the National Association For Community Mediation.
History
