Preventing political violence through mediation
With mid-term elections coming, political violence is on many people’s minds recently — mediators included. Urban Rural Action (www.uraction.org), National Association of Community Mediators (www.nafcm.org) and The Trust Network (www.thetrustnetwork.net) are three national organizations educating mediators about potential violence leading up to election day 2022. In true mediator style, they are attempting to bring about peace and prevent violence through tough conversations.
Using the theories of mediation, UR Action is gathering people from opposite sides of the political spectrum to have constructive conversations and to form a collaborative view of the issues from all sides. Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. is working with them in a five-county initiative to establish these lines of communication outside of theory — with boots on the ground, so to speak.
The idea is that if we see others with an opposing view as being an opponent, in direct competition with us, we tend to see them as someone who has a lot to learn. We assume they need to be educated, and we want to debate with them and perhaps call them a few names! We take on a “I need to win, and they need to lose” posture to any issue that only drives in the wedge further.
Understanding that we can both learn something from each other’s perspective goes a long way to bringing resolution. Remembering that these people are our neighbors, friends and family should make us want to meet them in the middle with our best intentions.
NAFCM is holding webinars about political violence and protecting our democracy. How can we hold the line for what we consider to be our basic freedoms? What can we do in small town USA to stop political violence? NAFCM agrees with UR Action that we must build coalitions across the political divide. We must identify and, in some cases, agree on what the problems are so we can share our knowledge about them. We must talk. We must discuss our fears and if we aren’t afraid…maybe listen to why others are feeling so.
The Trust Network has a list of convening community mediation centers where people can get help from local conflict resolution experts. These centers, having a pulse with the community and being aware when issues begin, provide a forum for conflict resolution at the earliest stage of disagreement. Mediation Services of Adams County Inc. is proud to be a convening center. Several of us are trained in on-the-fly mediation, perhaps you have seen us in our green vests attending rallies and events. We want to give everyone a chance to be heard. This is our community, and we care.
While we may think political violence is not a concern in Adams County, PA, those of us on the ground want you to know that is a possibility. It can be a reality here. But if we have those hard conversations, identify problems, hear each other’s perspectives, and remember we all want the best for our community, we can move forward towards a more peaceful Adams County.
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Mediation Services of Adams County (MSAC) has trained mediators available to help you work through strained family relationships, neighbor disputes, or other conflicts for an economical fee based on income. If you would like more information about Mediation, please contact Mediation Services of Adams County, 717-334-7312, P.O. Box 4113, Gettysburg, PA 17325,on line at mediationac@yahoo.com , or check out our website, http: //www.mediateadams.org.
Patti Robinson is President of the Board of MSAC and has 15 years of experience in transformative mediation.