Résolution des conflits

In 2010 Nike asked us to help develop a systemic vision for the brand in Rio de Janeiro in anticipation of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. We engaged in dialogue with artists, community leaders, athletes, social entrepreneurs, musicians and cultural producers to understand their views on the city as well as their needs and interests as citizens (not just consumers). Based on our findings, we advised Nike on a bottom-up approach based on 2 adjacent principles: sport as a catalyst for social transformation and sport as an integrative force among residents of the city (shared value).

Over the past year, a number of initiatives in different neighborhoods were conceived based on this concept, such as: refurbishment of facilities, creation of football training centers, sport competitions, sponsorship of athletes from low income neighborhoods, etc. These activations have had a resounding success and late last year, research conducted by Rio’s main newspaper reported that Nike was the top of mind sports clothing brand among residents of the city. The take-aways from this case are numerous:

__Do more, say less – focus on getting things done, connecting with people and less so on selling yourself.
__Be the Nudge – always encourage people to do things that are essentially good for them.
__Bottom up – start from the bottom, where real change is most necessary, and see your efforts trickle up.
__Empower the mobilizers – give resources to those people that are already moving the masses and making things happen.
__Be an integrative force – bring people together.

The impressive results of the pilot offering of Defining Diversity: Creating Community in 2011 motivated a unique group of partners to work collaboratively for community change. The project brings together Vancouver Island University with PR Model Community Project for Persons with Disabilities, Tla'Amin Community Health, PR and District United Way, First Credit Union, Community Living BC, PR Regional Economic Development Society, the PR Diversity Initiative, PR Association for Community Living, PR Education Services Society, the PR Community Foundation, PR Employment Services Society, School District 47, Friends of Film Society of PR, CJMP Community Radio Society, and Skookum Food Provisioners' Co-op. The door remains open for new community supporters. These organizations are committed to: marketing the innovation and the opportunity with their respective constituents; sponsoring participation in the course deliveries to ensure diverse representation; assistance with the refinement, implementation and analysis of the community engaged action research phases; support to new social and economic ideas and activities that flow from the process; and promotion of the lessons learned and recommendations in our own and other communities.

Activities include four rounds of participant recruitment and program delivery followed by four cycles of community engaged research; a focus group and a survey. The project concludes with a learning circle. Photo documentation and use of social media will be included. An interim and final report will be written, presented and distributed.

The Asset Based Community Development tools are being successfully utilized globally through the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. These tools guide a community through mapping their human resources, natural and physical resources, institutions and associations and their economy. From the mapped assets the community then decides what opportunities may be available and which ones will be prioritized. In the case of the Metis in BC, we have begun to understand our own predominant self defeating cycle so we also recognize the need to heal along with any community development. This self defeating cycle seems to be based in the systemic effects of disenfranchisement. The Metis of Canada did not belong, did not "fit" into the world of either parent cultures. This disenfranchisement pain manifests itself in lateral violence behaviours that so many of us see as individual conflicts rather than from the systemic source. Hence, it is critical for us to not only use community development tools, but also name our pain, and start the healing process.

1. An individual contacts the program via phone or email. A volunteer mediator is available to listen to the problem and explain the service.
2. If the individual would like to try mediation, the other party is contacted to see if he/she is also willing to take part in the mediation process.
3. Meet with the mediator. Both parties have an individual and confidential meeting with a mediator prior to the mediation session, providing a chance to talk about their needs and concerns.
4. The mediation. Two mediators meet with together with both parties involved in the conflict. The co-mediators work with the parties through a proven process to help resolve the problem. Most conflicts are resolved in one meeting.
5. Following the mediation. One month after mediation, one of the mediators will follow up with the parties by phone to find out how things are going and what progress has been made in implementing the resolution agreed upon in the mediation.
The process outlined above is part of a proven framework for dispute resolution. If a neighbour is having issues with a backyard chicken coop, they may call the municipality or by-law office in an effort to address the issue. If the issue does not fall within the parameters of municipal by-law, or if the individual is not willing to enter a court process, there are very few alternative options for addressing the dispute. A community mediation program fills a much needed role within our community for a non-adversarial way of solving disagreements that helps to strengthen the bonds of our society.

Over 298 million parents worldwide are exchanging over $990 Billion dollars every year in child support family support and spousal support annually.
After a child support order or agreement is established, these parents are left to try to figure out the best way to manage child support. Child support is not a simple single monthly payment; it is divided into two unique categories, base support and incremental or additional expenses. Base support is typically a standard amount every month meant to cover basic living expenses. Divorced, separated or blended families also share the burden of incremental or additional expenses necessary to raise a child. These may include health care, education, childcare or special child related expenses. Conflict arises because it is necessary for parents to continually negotiate and share this potentially long list of expenses.
Since there is no standard process or system to facilitate this interaction the entire process is time consuming, conflict-ridden and very stressful for both the parents and the children.
With Ittavi’s Child Support Manager, parents can track child support and additional expenses, upload receipts, communicate via the system and pay expenses, either to each other or to a third party, in a single easy-to-use system that can be accessed online anytime, anywhere.
The system alleviates the biggest stress point between parents so that they can now focus on what is important, raising happy and healthy children.

When a person who has experienced abuse approaches our agency for services, we will outline all the options for service available to her or him. Together with the intake worker the client will then choose if she/he wants to engage in a mediation session with the offender. This may happen after the court case is closed or while the parties are on a peace bond.
If the client(s) are deemed appropriate candidates and willing to engage in mediation sessions, both will receive pre-mediation preparation possibly by two co-mediators, which will outline the mediation process to them, their responsibilities and general possible outcomes.
Once the parties are engaged in the mediation process, the mediator(s) will assess if victim and offender can meet in the same room. If not the sessions will take place separately. The victim will have a chance to make her/his opening statement outlining her/his position. After taking in the victim's opening statement, the offender will have her/his turn to make her/his opening statement. Opening statements will include the parties' positions and their version of what happened. The mediator will then carefully move the parties from discussing positions to discussing their interests and specifically their shared interests: safety, acceptance, and possibly forgiveness.

A case we did in 2012 began with an adult male who was driving a motorcycle when he was struck by an SUV. The driver was distracted by a cell phone and ran a red light. The man did not initially appear to be seriously injured but died days later in hospital. The driver (an adult female, mother of a young daughter and first-time offender) was charged with dangerous driving causing death. The victim's family had a strong desire to meet her, but because the criminal trial was underway, she was forbidden by her lawyers to speak to them. The family approached us about meeting with the woman. After multiple meetings with everyone (individually), spending months preparing them and finally determining that each of them was ready, we facilitated a two-day dialogue to go over what happened, celebrate the life of the victim and come up with an agreement on how the offender could give something back to the family and community at large. Some of the agreement terms were a commitment to further driver education to improve the offender’s driving skills, planting a tree in the victim’s memory, a commitment to volunteer work with an organization the victim had been involved with, and a letter-writing campaign to raise awareness. The feedback we received from everyone was outstanding: the victim's family and friends said it brought them closure, healing, understanding and a sense of relief. The offender also expressed the sense of relief and closure it brought her, and she was grateful for the chance to know what kind of person the victim was and share her perspective on the incident.

Peter broke into London Drugs. Fueled by alcohol and urged on by other young people, he smashed glass cases and stole digital cameras while youthful employees, barricaded inside a glass-walled office, watched in horror as their workplace was trashed. They feared for their own safety. Peter, 19, had never done anything like this before.

Restorative justice processes require the voluntary participation of the offender and those affected. (1) Practitioners meet separately with both parties to prepare them for a face-to-face conference in which both parties will explain what they did and how they were affected. This process usually requires a number of sessions. (2) Participants are prepared to explain what they did; offering insight into their behaviour in terms of preexisting attitudes, values, sensibilities, socialization, lived experience, etc. Victims are helped to express their feelings; the impact that someone's actions had upon them and how their lives were affected. Both parties are helped to think about meaningful reparations and resolutions. (3) The parties, with 'supporting Others' are brought together in a conference to communicate in a manner designed to facilitate understanding, leading to restitution, apologies and ongoing commitments to address factors contributing to the offense. (4) The offender makes restitution and commits him or herself to addressing his or her behaviour. Restitution can involve payments, community service, speaking publicly to other youth, adults, etc. Restitution can involve actions and commitments that last for years.

Our programing consists of a combination of residential and online programs to support change agents. We designed five residential workshops focused on critical needs of change agents including:

• Building Personal Mastery
• Building Strong & Respectful Relationships
• Building Conscious Use of Power
• Building Common Ground and Capacity for Social Change
• Building Sustainability

• Inner Essential cCourse
The cost of the residential programs are out of reach for many change agents, so we also developed the Inner Essential eCourse delivered at a modest cost to anyone who identifies themselves as a change agent. It was designed by highly experienced personal development curriculum leaders with the intention that any change agent could benefit from our concepts in the comfort of their own home. It is a self paced 52 week program that delivers a "mission" each week on a specific topic of relevance to change work.

What are people saying about our programs? "All activists could benefit from an opportunity to shine light into their personal “dark spots” and gain both insights and tools to build genuinely sustainable activist practices." - Deblekha Guin, Executive Director, Access to Media Education Society

"The Inner Activist program builds an environment where you learn practical tools as well as deepen your own emotional understanding of the world you want to live in and see being made possible for everyone around you. It challenges you to be and do better starting by looking at yourself." - Hawa Mire, Executive Director, Leave Out Violence