Social Mediation for Global Collaboration
Summary
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Law, Alternative and Innovative Methods (ICLAIM) is a Cyprus-based non-profit social enterprise. Since 2018 it has been running the project ‘Social mediation in Practice’. The aim of the project is to promote ‘Social Mediation’ as a conflict resolution tool in cases of social conflict. The Social Mediation for Global Collaboration project aims to expand collaborations with partners from around the world, who are willing and able to promote Social Mediation in their respective contexts. This exercise aims to expand the expertise of our diverse Social Mediators’ Network, established in September 2020 and showcase the utility of Social Mediation across different social and geographical contexts, from Africa to the Mediterranean, and to Asia. The project aims to be implemented from March to December 2022.
Classifications
Region
Scale of implementation
Ecosystem
Theme
Urban and Disaster Risk Management
Challenges
Sustainable development goals
Aichi targets
Sendai Framework
Business engagement approach
Challenges
Social Mediation (SM) is a conflict resolution tool used for conflicts in a social context, placing individuals and communities across the world at the forefront, in turbulent times. The project uses theoretical concepts around group dynamics, identity, social change and transitions, proposing concrete solutions to the tensions arising from the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. SM can be used in dealing with complex and sensitive issues of identity, prejudices, stereotyping and exclusion, all exacerbated around the world by the COVID19 pandemic. The representatives of ICLAIM’s global partners will have to propose up to two participants for the workshop.
Beneficiaries
Vulnerable social groups, with a focus on youth and women, community leaders, law enforcement and disaster prevention professionals.
How do the building blocks interact?
The Social Mediators' Network consists of the pool of participants that have expressed an interest to remain engaged with the project in the long term. They continue training others into Social Mediation within their own national, regional or communal contexts. At the same time, the theme-specific Manuals, bring together the theoretical, academia-oriented, expertise and empirical experience from the field. Written in a simple and accessible manner, while they are publicly available for free, ensure that dissemination of both the theoretical and the practical knowledge and experience is available to anyone interested in the long-term. To this process, the workshops are the practical experience that brings together old and new network members, contributing to further expanding the project.
Impacts
Workshops use a ‘train-the-trainers’ approach, allowing for multiplier effects and encouraging the spreading of the methodology in communities across the globe. At the same time, all participants and network members and stakeholders learn from each other through a two-way interactive process. To allow for limited costs and maximum participation, the initial Social Mediation training will be conducted on a blended or exclusively online mode. The representatives of ICLAIM’s global partners will have to propose up to two participants for the workshop. The proposed initiative is well anchored in the UN 2030 Agenda with which it has been working for some years already, aiming at social transitions locally and regionally. The proposed initiative would allow the entire project of social mediation in practice to go global and participate through sustainable development through individual and collective empowerment and social inclusion in times of pandemic.
Story
In the earliest workshops on Social Mediation we had organised, we used to get very diverse groups of participants, as the project was not yet focusing on specific target groups and specialised themes, but rather was an invitation for participants from all walks of life, across cultures, age groups, or other backgrounds. We knew Social Mediation had potential, when in one of those early workshops, while exchanging views and feedback with participants, one of them said in a very excited tone: ‘I’ll start using Social Mediation at home with my family!’. Indeed, what better place to start striving for stronger social bonds, than with your nearest people?
Pictures
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