Seeking volunteer mediators for community mediation

About Community Mediation

At Ballymun Community Law Centre we are putting a new focus on the benefits of community mediation post-pandemic. Community mediation is a tool for building resilience and empowerment. Community mediation can resolve neighbor disputes and relive stress in people’s lives. It can provide resolutions to situations that would otherwise end up in legal proceedings or with tenants losing tenancies. Community mediation gives people back the power to address situations in their own lives. It prevents conflict erupting in less constructive ways. By facilitating mediation sessions between neighbours in a dispute we ensure that all parties are satisfied with the outcome.

Community mediation is always facilitated by two mediators. It involves both mediators meeting each party involved in a dispute individually to afford each party an opportunity to share their side of the story. With the consent of both parties, they then move to the next stage where all parties come together in a neutral venue for the mediation session. At our Community Mediation Volunteers will encourage communication and understanding between parties toward a positive resolution of their conflict.

What we ask

• Volunteers give their time and skills free of charge.
• Volunteers must be available to facilitate in person mediation sessions in various locations in the Ballymun area and surrounds.
• Volunteers fulfill all criteria and expectations of a mediator including attending ethics training, learning, and sharing sessions, and other continuous professional development requirements.
• Volunteers ensure that their accreditation with the MII stays up to date.
• Volunteers sign the Ballymun Community Law Centre volunteer agreement.
• Volunteers are not expected to take all cases offered but we ask that volunteers communicate availability ahead of time and when offered a mediation case respond quickly to indicate whether they can take the case.

What we offer

• Flexibility and the ability to take as few or as many cases as suits your timetable. We provide daytime and evening mediation sessions.
• Volunteers will receive appropriate support from Ballymun Community Law Centre to facilitate and conclude the work assigned to them. Support will extend to all admin, referral forms, co-ordination and the sourcing and booking of appropriate rooms for meetings.
• Expenses incurred in the mediation process will be reimbursed.
• For volunteers solely offering their time to Ballymun Community Law Centre will reimburse volunteers fees when registering with the Mediation Institute of Ireland as well as the cost of required training.
• We organize quarterly learning and sharing sessions.

Qualification

• Must be an accredited mediator.
• Experience in community mediation or in a community setting is an advantage.

Apply

To apply fill in the below form and email to recruitment@bclc.ie by the 2nd of October 2022.

Application Form

Contact us if you have any questions, we’ll be happy to chat about the role.