GREENBELT, Md. – On June 26, 2024, more than 200 mediators and other conflict resolvers from across Maryland gathered at Martin’s Crosswinds to reconnect and learn from each other at the Maryland Mediators Convention. The Maryland Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) hosted the convention, offering practitioners the opportunity to share strategies for family and civil mediation, discuss innovative approaches for difficult mediation situations, examine topics of inclusivity, and learn about aspects of mediation practice specific to Maryland.

“It is important to convene mediators to share best practices in the field and also explore ways to increase the public’s access to alternative dispute resolution services as a way to resolve conflicts without going to trial, when appropriate,” said State Court Administrator Judy Rupp. “Mediation, community conferencing, and settlement conferences are important resources now being used to assist in resolving neighborhood, family, business, workplace, or other types of disputes, often with better and more desirable outcomes for all parties.”

The Baltimore Peace Movement lead the opening plenary session by screening the documentary, Sage, which depicts the work of the movement’s community peacemakers to reduce violence in Baltimore. The group is best known for its Ceasefire weekends and Peace Promise campaign recognized across the city and marked with life-affirming events. The efforts began in 2017 with a call for no gun violence over the course of three days. The endeavor has been so successful that according to a 2020 report in the American Journal of Public Health, there was an estimated 52% reduction in gun violence during the Ceasefire weekends.

The convention provided attendees with choices to select among fourteen sessions over the course of the day.Lorig Charkoudian, Tracee Ford, and Allie Matheu, of Community Mediation Maryland, presented Loneliness: Addressing an Epidemic through Community Mediation Initiatives. The presenters shared how meeting together with the help of a mediator can help re-build relationships, as well as help people work together to solve problems. The presenters noted that mediation isn’t only for legal issues and that it can be a strategy to prevent conflict.

“People may think that their conflict is too small or too big for mediation. However, we must conduct mediation education to help people understand that their conflict is just the right size for mediation,” said Community Mediation Maryland Director of Quality Development Tracee Ford.

Additionally, a session on “saving face” addressed something that most people have experienced during a conflict.

“The willingness of mediation participants to let down their defenses and hear each other can be an important step in resolving disputes,” said District Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Office Regional Program Manager Elaine Phillips, who explained the process to attendees. Phillips and her District Court colleagues offered ways to recognize when this is happening and ways to support the conversation.

Mediation services are available across Maryland. For more information, visit mdcourts.gov/macro, mdcourts.gov/legalhelp/mediationadr, or mdcourts.gov/macro/adr-resourceguide.