NYSDRA Blog

On August 10, the non-profit organization Center for Dispute Settlement is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a Gala event! The Gala will be an opportunity for staff (past and present), volunteers, and community members to celebrate CDS’ tradition of community building and dispute resolution for individuals, families, and organizations. The Gala will feature keynote speaker Andrew Thomas as well as a Proclamation from Mayor Malik Evans. This morning on GDR, we were joined by President and CEO of the Center for Dispute Settlement, Dr. Shira May to learn more about the organization as well as the upcoming Gala. For more information visit cdsadr.org Watch the Full Interview Here

Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) is an organization that specializes in conflict resolution and mediation services. Donna Ramlow, the Executive Director of DRC, has been a driving force in the field of alternative dispute resolution for many years. Her unwavering commitment to helping individuals, organizations, and communities find peaceful resolutions to their conflicts has earned her widespread recognition and respect. Donna explains that DRC's mission is to provide accessible and effective mediation services to all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. The organization offers a wide range of mediation services, including family and divorce mediation, workplace mediation, community mediation, Special Education, and more. DRC's team of trained volunteer mediators, who come from diverse professional backgrounds, work tirelessly to create a safe and neutral environment where parties can express their concerns and interests freely. Donna also highlights DRC's commitment to education and outreach. She outlines the details of the Parents Apart educational class, as well as DRC's robust and active CASA program, where volunteers are assigned to help children and their families who are going through the foster care system. The organization also offers comprehensive training programs for aspiring mediators and conducts workshops and presentations on conflict resolution in schools, businesses, and communities. In the discussion about the impact of DRC's work, Donna shares heartwarming stories of people that have been able to resolve their disputes amicably and strengthen their relationships and communication skills, including how improved communication skills have helped her and her family in their personal lives. Donna Ramlow's passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to conflict resolution, and the wellbeing of children and their families, are truly inspiring. With her leadership, Donna is paving the way for a more peaceful and harmonious world, one mediated resolution at a time. Watch the Full Interview Here

Sarah Rudgers-Tysz, executive director of Mediation Matters, works in one of the mediation rooms at the organization's office on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Albany, N.Y. Paul Buckowski/Times Union Conflict — an inescapable gremlin that follows us to work, home and into our dreams — is difficult to navigate but necessary, so much so that the state has a dedicated association for it. New York is home to 62 conflict resolution centers, which are tasked with helping communities sort through everyday matters that may grow tense. Mediation Matters is the Capital Region’s go-to mass of centers for such matters. The nonprofit, first opened in 1979, houses three offices in the Capital Region and offers services to all residents, organizations and companies in six counties — Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington. “All of our processes and our purpose in life is to support our fellow community members ... to find constructive ways to manage either conflict or difficult conversations in their lives,” Sarah Rudgers-Tysz, Mediation Matters’ executive director, said. While you can be referred to Mediation Matters by a court, locals of all ages can freely and confidentially use their services as well. The organization is available to assist mitigating family disputes, small claims or even just facilitate difficult conversations with others, she explained. While you can be referred to Mediation Matters by a court, locals of all ages can freely and confidentially use their services as well. The organization is available to assist mitigating family disputes, small claims or even just facilitate difficult conversations with others, she explained. On any given day, mediators can resolve disputes between landlords and tenants, over family childcare schedules, farm loans or special education disputes at schools. “The range of types of situations that we involved in are as diverse as the community itself,” Rudgers-Tysz said. The Capital Region centers employ 12 staff members and has about 30 volunteers. Mediators are required to take 30 hours of basic training and cycle through additional specialized learning for conflict resolution, teaching volunteers how to be objective, confidential and empathetic. The center mediates between five and 10 individual conflicts weekly and thousands a year. Mediation Matters also has programs to train companies and organizations alongside youth programs it hosts at schools. In some cases, a Mediation Matters staffer is directly embedded in the schools. For others, the agency partners with a school. Community members can access the nonprofit’s services at little or no cost given it is funded by the New York State Unified Court System, among other sources. Mediation Matters bills organizations it provides training for, but only charges about $25 per person for individual sessions, and waives the fee for those who cannot pay it. One program trains students to become mediators, aiming to help students resolve conflict without violence. The organization has coordinated programs at Schenectady High and Mt. Pleasant Middle School, for example. Some peer mediators who started with the organization while in school have gone on to become staff members, Rudgers-Tysz said. “I think the biggest challenge is the empathy that's required, but it is such gratifying work,” she said. “Just watching the light bulb go on and (someone) feel like ‘Oh, I can do this.’ It's a really powerful thing. We all just embrace the idea that we know people have those strengths to work through and make decisions for their lives.” Beatriz Roman started volunteering in 2016, after moving to the region two years before. When a friend asked if she wanted to be a mediator, she said she was “floored.” She had always admired her friend’s work and it hadn’t occurred to her that she, too, could get involved. “I come from a very dysfunctional family ... (one) where there was no talking, there was no listening. I really admired that you could create enough trust in two sparring parties for them to understand this is a serious attempt at listening to each other,” she said. So, when given the chance, her answer was a sure yes. Working in family and small claims mediation, Roman learned how to remain neutral during conflicts and facilitate conversations in a respectful manner that is open-ended and allows all parties to listen and feel heard. “They're in charge of the negotiation. They're in charge of the outcome. And it's OK if they don't come to an agreement, but that they've listened to each other and heard each other's understanding of the problem,” Roman said. And in time, she said she believes acting as a community mediator has changed her life. Read The Article on The Times Union Website