D ear Mediation Works Friends,

This November is my one year anniversary with Mediation Works. I am a Pacific Northwest

woman, raised in Salem, and off to college in 1979. I continued in school for many years, studying theater and performance at

Northwestern and University of Oregon. I am both Duck and Beaver—a Platypus—since I also served as faculty for OSU for many years. We moved here in 1999, and I

learned the business of “Executive Director-ing” through the Women’s Crisis Support Team of Josephine County. Heading up the

Women’s Resource Center at Southern Oregon University was my next job for

many years.

Now, I am part of the staff of

Mediation Works, the Center for Dispute Resolution (CDRC) of southern Oregon. I count this work as a continuation of my dedication to social justice, and feel so very fortunate to have the privilege of working among

professional mediators, educators, and community volunteers dedicated to building safer, healthier communities at home, at work, and at school

through conflict resolution education and services.

My partner and I live in Ashland, where

we share a safe, warm and happy home with our

ten year old twins and our cat, Charley.

Warm Regards to All,

Deltra

Welcome Deltra Ferguson, Executive Director

Mediation Works Transforms the way the people and communities of southern Oregon manage,

resolve and heal from conflict.

Board of Directors:

Charles Kochlacs

Board Chair

Michael Belsky

Vice Chair

Dan Converse

Secretary

Jon North

Treasurer

Jane Stromberg

Past Board Chair

Caprice Moran

Don Gordon

Doug Jantzi

Jon Lange

Sally Wise

Greg Lemhouse

Meagan Lauing-DeNui

Staff:

Deltra Ferguson, Ph.D Executive Director

Brian Graunke

Director of Mediation

Services

Cara Walsh

Director of Restorative

Justice Programs &

Services

Raphaelle (Raphi) Kunkel

Director of Education,

Training, and School

Programs

Administrative Staff:

Louise Parke

Experience Works Staff

Volunteer Staff:

Fred Perloff

Mediation Works Holiday

Open House

Dec 4th 4:30-7:00pm

33 N. Central Avenue Suite 219

Come join the season celebration

and be among friends!

The Feather and Stone Fall/Winter 2013

Page 2 Mediation Works

H ello to all,

I am a recent graduate of Southern Oregon University where I earned a degree in Human Communication and completed additional certificate programs in Conflict

Resolution and Management of Human Resources. As a student I worked as an intern with Mediation Works and was immersed in the youth and focused programs. I spent many hours presenting

conflict education trainings to youth in schools and working with the youth and victims involved with the Restorative Justice

programs. It has been a true gift to work alongside the most generous and caring volunteers I believe exist and I am honored

to be in a position where I can continue to do this work and be a part this incredible community of people who believe in the mission of Mediation Works.

The volunteer work I have engaged in ranges from

working overseas in Russia as a member of a group that hosted summer camps for children living in the orphanages to mentoring first year college students as they navigate through their first year

in a higher education setting. I was born in Flagstaff, Arizona and spent my childhood there and then moved to Bainbridge Island, Washington (30 minutes by boat from

Seattle) where my family currently lives and I enjoy being able to visit, especially close to the holidays.

Warm Wishes,

Raphi

Welcome Louise Parke, Front Desk Support

Welcome Raphi Kunkel, Director of Education, Training, & School Programs

M y name is Louise Parke and I am currently a participant in the Experience Works program. The program is for people 55 years old or older. I have been fortunate

enough to be placed here with Mediation Works as my

host agency for training purposes.

I came to the Rogue Valley from the San Francisco Bay Area. This valley felt like home to me the first time I saw it. I moved back east in 1985 to stay with my mother for a few years but I decided in 1992 that I would never be happy living anywhere

but here in the Rogue Valley so I moved back in November.

I live in a mobile home park about 1 ½ miles from Gold

Hill. I enjoy gardening, camping and just walking in the countryside. I also like to watch sports on television. I like football, the

baseball playoffs, horse racing and figure skating events.

I hope I get a chance to meet everyone in time. Until I

do, I want to wish everyone a great Holiday Season.

Take Care,

Louise

December 14th 1:30-3:00pm

Join Us for Restorative Justice Webinars

Page 3

W e have summarized the mediation and facilitation case types

for the last fiscal year and wanted to share our results with you. We are proud to report that the

mediation services volunteers and staff facilitated 1079 cases last fiscal year serving about 2000

people and amounting to nearly

5000 volunteer hours! The majority of those cases were small claims cases followed by

neighbor to neighbor disputes at 30% of our total.

This year we are busy at work facilitating cases as usual

with one major difference. In addition to our regular caseload we are anticipating a large number of foreclosure facilitations to take

place beginning in the next few weeks.

Mediation Services Information

Fambul Tok: Community Transitional Justice

in Sierra Leone with John Caulker

Human Rights advocate and Founding Director of Fambul Tok International – Sierra Leone, John

Caulker will present on the work of restoring justice in the wake of the brutal civil war that wracked his country for 12 years. Launched in 2008, Fambul Tok (translated as “Family Talk”) in the Krio language,

provides an innovative example of a community-driven and owned transitional justice process that illustrates the spark of creative genius resulting from

the partnership of civil society and local communities that are allowed to dream and act out a better justice

for the future – a reconciliatory, healing justice that

holds promise for generations to come.

The Paradox of Being an

Indigenous Justice Practitioner

with Harley Eagle Harley Eagle will provide his perspective on restorative justice based on his cultural and personal experience as a practitioner. He will also speak on the

impact of unresolved historical trauma and its effects on conflict in Indigenous settings as well as what it might mean for

Restorative Justice.

November 13th 1:30-3:00pm

RSVP to Cara if you are interested

in attending.

Page 4

Restorative Justice News & Updates

Mediation Works

I n March of this year, we re-launched the Detention Center Program and have been consistently offering communication

classes to incarcerated youth on a weekly basis. How incredible that this entire program is being coordinated and led by a passionate,

committed, and skillful group of volunteers! We are still looking for additional facilitators

to be part of this dynamic learning community. If you are interested, or if you want more

information, please contact Cara.

Last year we designed and

implemented a Theft Impact Class as a diversion option for first time theft offenders. Rooted in restorative justice principles, this

class provides an opportunity for youth to be accountable for their actions while avoiding formal charges. Since it’s inception we have served 136

youth through this program.

In partnership with the Juvenile Department, Mediation Works supported the development of

Community Accountability Boards. This community-based diversion option results in an individualized contract that addresses accountability, competency development, and community safety. Using a

strengths-based and restorative approach these boards are coordinated and executed under the

leadership of the Juvenile Department.

We just held an Introduction to Restorative Justice training on October 11th that was open to the community. The goal of this training was to provide a general overview of the principles of restorative justice and the varied applications within the criminal justice system, schools, and every day

life. We are grateful to all those who attended who contributed to an engaging

learning seminar.

Hand Contract: Confidentiality, Do Homework, Encouragement, Be

Respectful, Participation, Non-Judgmental, Be Kind, Honesty,

Productivity

A victim expresses her frustration and

anger to the youth that damaged her

car. She shares with him that she had to

cancel her vacation to see her elderly father

because she had to use her vacation money to fix

the car. Her anger slowly softens into compassion

and support as she hears that he is overcoming a

drug addiction and was 100 days clean. The victim

reaches into her pocket and pulls out an AA coin

marking her 19 years of sobriety. As a result of

the dialogue, the offender and the victim are able

to see the humanity in each other.

At the start of each VAYA

(Victim Assistance, Youth Accountability) class we spend time together creating a “hand contract.” The youth write and

share three positive traits about themselves inside their traced hand that they are bringing to our newly created community. We then collectively create

agreements on how we want to be together through the duration of the class. Giving each person a voice in

identifying what is important to them to feel safe, sets a tone and creates

investment that lasts the duration of our

time together.

Back to School

Page 5

N ew locker combinations, yearbook picture re-takes, and morning announcements reminding us all that

today’s lunch special is sloppy Joes. All of these are indications that a new school year is in full swing. For Mediation Works’ school-based

programs, this means a full schedule of presenting programs and trainings in the schools.

We have already provided around 380 students with conflict education through the Student Peer

Mediation and “ChoicePoint” Bullying Prevention and Bystander Empowerment programs. Just in October we presented 32

ChoicePoint lessons to individual classrooms of middle school students. We have also met with parents, teachers, and school administrators to discuss the issue of bullying and give them terminology and tools to help them empower students to take positive actions as allies for each other when faced

with conflicts, bullying and harassment.

One activity we did

with students at Talent Middle School was creating a

list of the qualities we look for in an ideal friend. For

this activity we separated the boys and the girls during the creation of the lists.

When we brought the groups back together we voted to see how many

students thought the lists would be similar or different. The majority voted they would be fairly different

every time. When we revealed the lists, we circled any similarities we found.

Can you tell which list the girls created versus the boys?

Isn’t it interesting that we are all looking for similar qualities in a friend? Neither group added to their

list any items such as wearing cool clothes, being attractive, or being popular (all of which students report being bullied for frequently). At the end of the lesson we all agreed to try our best to be the ideal friend we created in our lists. Imagine if we start with ourselves, and everyone around us joins in.

How would you feel? As one student put it, “I would feel safe and happy.”

We are currently looking for volunteers for our programs in the schools. For more

information or to get involved, please contact Raphi.

We are now accepting nominations for

the Imagine Awards 2014 for community building and peacemaking !

Who is the glue, the builder, the peacemaker? In April of every year, Mediation Works honors individuals who help make Southern Oregon a

place of civic engagement, dialogue, and inclusiveness. These are people who make a difference in our community. Gratitude is called

for. Do you know of someone who should be

nominated? Let your imaginations run wild!

Visit www.mediation-works.org for Imagine

Awards nomination forms.

Page 6 Mediation Works

I t is October, and across our magnificent valley, blessed with changing seasons, leaves turn color and remind us of the

cycles present in the great wheel of life. As light gives way to darkness our neighborhoods, towns and communities draw

together. Harvests are gathered too, and people hang up lights, make fires and light

candles, to more gracefully receive the darkness and approach of winter. We are

thankful.

Gratitude is energy. It is gratitude

that motivates and inspires us to give back the good that we have received. It is marvelous that we each have something to give. The

economic darkness of the recession seems to be lifting. We were rightly cautious with our resources and we got through it together.

This year feels different. It is time to express gratitude—it is time to give again. Give a little

if you can. Give a lot if you can. But above

all, give what you can.

At the close of November, I will be asking you to give to Mediation Works. We need your financial help—a little or a lot—to carry out our mission of transforming the way people of southern

Oregon manage, resolve, and heal from conflict. We are growing our education and training efforts working with youth in K-12 schools and in workplaces and institutions developing conflict resolution skill with adults. Our restorative services, designed for victims and communities affected by crime and

for holding offenders accountable, create healing and reconciliation. Mediation Works is the singular center for dispute resolution in all of southern Oregon. It is here for you and for me, with the magic of

mediation services to help us through

the fire of conflict.

Come November, as you gather and reflect, and feel gratitude; please remember Mediation Works

and give what you can.

In Good Cheer,

Deltra Ferguson

Executive Director

Give A Little, Give A Lot

F undamentals of Mediation

February 12,13,14 & 20, 21 This 5-day training is a state recognized professional

qualification for mediators. You will learn communication skills, effective negotiation, mediation theory & practice from a highly skilled staff of trainers. Included in this 36 hour training are interactive exercises and mediation

practice. Seating is limited so be sure to register early.

CEUs: This course is approved for 29 MCLE credits by the State Bar of Oregon. Board of LCSW accepts MCLE credit

for this training.

Please contact us about having this training count towards

your required professional Continuing Education Credits.

G o Team Mediation Works! Since I began 12 months ago as Executive Director there has been a sea of change at Mediation Works—

and there is more to come! The news is good; The Board of Directors has grown from 9 to 12 members, and raised over eight thousand dollars from our

friends in the business community for our work last year. The goal for this year is $10,000.

This July, as our new fiscal year begins, Mediation Works can celebrate entry into a prosperous 23rd year of service to the people of our

region. We proudly serve Jackson and Josephine counties and the surrounding southern Oregon and northern California communities. On an annual basis,

we expect to serve at least 2,600 people per year through dispute resolution services in Jackson and Josephine counties. We can also expect to serve at

least 2,800 students and community members per year through school-based programs, public and

workplace trainings, and restorative justice programs with Juvenile Justice.

We will need your help to keep these positive

numbers going –and gently growing. Please consider making a donation or pledge to Mediation Works as you give to your community this year.

Page 7

D ivorce and Family Mediation Class

April 26-27 & May 2-4

Southern Oregon University’s Division of Continuing Education will be hosting the Divorce and Family Mediation class provided by, Michael Belsky, Ed.D. & Josie Wilson Ph.D. The training is an advanced

mediation course that examines family mediation theory and process, different approaches used by experienced mediators, the effects of divorce on children,

mediating with high conflict families and grandparents and how to work within the context of the court and the private sector.

To receive additional registration information, send an

email request to dces@sou.edu during November -they

will notify you when registration is open.

From the Director;

Mediation Works “By The Numbers”

November is Mediation Month

Governor John A. Kitzhaber has proclaimed November as Mediation

Month in the state of Oregon. In the

proclamation Kitzhaber stated that, “Oregonians can choose mediation- with assistance from hundreds of volunteer,

court affiliated and private mediators- as a “first resort” to peacefully resolve their conflicts, thereby promoting safer communities, schools and families and

saving time and money… Oregon is committed to the use of mediation for problem-solving, making Oregon a leader

in providing opportunities for the

effective resolution of disputes…”

Artwork from a Ruch School student depicting friendship

and kindness.

What do friendship and kindness look like to you?

Mediation Works

33 North Central Avenue Suite 219 Medford Or 97501 541-770-2468

www.mediation-works.org

In this issue of

The Feather and Stone

New faces at Mediation Works Restorative Justice News, Updates

& Free Webinars

Upcoming Training Dates Mediation Works, “By The

Numbers” Announcements and Upcoming

Opportunities to, “Give a Little,

Give a Lot”

Thank You So Very Much!

The Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation

The Oregon Community Foundation

The Frank L. TouVelle Trust Fund

The Anna May Family Foundation

The US Bank Foundation

Support from the City of Ashland

…and of course, the United Way