Last year we wrote about how Mediation Services of Adams County Inc., had joined The TRUST Network. We told you to be looking for us in our bright green vests at protests because as part of this community we care about communication and all sides having a voice. The Trust Network was started in October 2020 by Mediators Beyond Borders International as a calculated response to the rift in our society due mostly to political differences. The Trust Network reached out to us because of where we live. Adams County is being watched because of our political climate. Do you find that hard to believe? There’s more.
We are involved in their first-of-its-kind “Early Warning Early Action” grass roots action group. We listen to what’s going on, we scour social media, we ask questions about political violence in our Listening Booths, we enter protests trying to be a calming influence. We take being community mediators very seriously. This is our home, and we feel that interrupting and mitigating violence is imperative. Communities are peaceful where people feel safe and respected. We feel safe and respected when we are heard.
Most recently, MSAC, along with CONTACT Helpline, Just for Today Recovery & Veteran’s Support Services, South Central Community Action Programs, Suicide Prevention of York – as well as the News Literacy Project, through Urban Rural Action, are part of a Department of Homeland Security Award granted to Urban Rural Action for $770K to create programs that help prevent targeted violence.
To say we are excited is an understatement. Mediation is a process that helps others learn to deal with the issues that drive their conflict, whether in the workplace, home, or community. Our whole purpose is to work across differences and to find solutions. URA is giving us the opportunity to use our skills in groups from varied backgrounds and ideologies to come up with projects that attempt to ease some of the root causes of targeted violence.
“Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence aims to prevent targeted violence by (1) strengthening social cohesion, (2) forming and deploying Threat Assessment and Management teams led by local organizations, and (3) raising community awareness of targeted violence.” (https://www.uraction.org/pressnews.html)
Targeted violence refers to violence that is premeditated and directed at specific individuals, groups, or locations. It is not just name calling or neighbors arguing over a fence line. It is not something that mediators usually deal with either. So why us? Again, URA found us. We live in an area that is being watched and where there is great concern about the potential for targeted violence. Another agency reaching out to Adams County. We are standing out to national agencies for a reason. Can we recognize it in ourselves?
So, why mediators? Mediators think differently. We function with the fundamental belief that all individuals want to and can solve their own problems. That once people feel heard, they can be wildly creative and amazingly open to other perspectives. We believe we can use the skills we bring to the table every day to help us unite and prevent targeted violence in Adams County. I hope, when we reach out to you, you’ll be ready.
