WASILIANAHUB – Track 3 Course 1 FTD Skills The Effective Mediator April 2022

Objective 

‘Igniting Mediators Shared Value (Impact)’

1. To enhance facilitation skills;
2. To build capacity to develop training resources for diverse target audiences;
3. To equip mediators to activate sustainable community-based mediation programmes*: community paramediators groups and school paramediators clubs;
4. To enroll mediators to the sustainable community mediation empowerment strategy;
5. To sustain collaborative action/impact via a Long Term Support (LTS) Community Mediation System.

*Contributing to the 10,000 Kenyan women mediators agenda.

Workshop Design

The training combines virtual training running over 5 weeks and the commitment to activate at least one community group; community paramediators groups and school paramediators clubs.

Duration 

5 Weeks 

Platforms 

Blended through:

1. Virtual training days (ZOOM Live);
2. Community-based mediation programmes; facilitate skills and awareness in the community;
3. Support creation of sustainable local mediation structures with 5-35 members:

• Community paramediators groups;
• and School paramediators clubs.

Graduation 

Participants commit to the following as part of the experiential programme during the period:

1. Weekly virtual training days;
2. To structure and facilitate skills and awareness in the community;
3. Inspire the creation of sustainable local mediation structures with 5-35 members;
4. Participate in and contribute to peer supervision;
5. Submit evidenced final assessment report.

Note: As an experiential programme, participants actively engage within the community.

Topics 

Week 1: Self-awareness 

• Joharis Window
• SWOT Analysis 

Week 2:  Effective Communication 

• Speaking, Active Listening, Feedback 
• 10 Barriers to Communication

Week 3:  Tools, Methodology and Technology 

• Systematic Approach to Facilitation (SAF) ~ ADDIE 

Week 4:  Tools, Methodology and Technology 

Week 5:  Supervision

•  Peer Supervision 
• Assessment Reporting

Week 6:  Graduation Event Presentations 

Continuous Learning Education Experiential (CLEE) 

8 CLEE Hours 

Collaborative Action

Each community mediator is expected to activate at least one community group; community paramediators groups and school paramediators clubs during this period. Mediators collaborate through exchange visits, peer supervision and virtual learning sessions.

Track Reference

Track 3: Skills Course 1 - FTDS

Rational To The Sustainable Community Empowerment Strategy 

For professional mediators truly dedicated to the power of community mediation, the lack of a Long Term Support (LTS) community mediation system; accountability structure, mentorship fellowship, and sustained impact, limits sustainability of their well meaning interventions. 

Community mediators may be found in practice at the grassroots dedicated to supporting local people and businesses. In most instances, this is done ad hoc where invited and based on interest by a committed mediator who then creates momentum for professional mediation at a station. Upon exit to pursue personal endeavors, the mediator may be forced to leave the station ‘unsecured’ - unless able to enroll a peer professional mediator from the locality. In some settings, this is often opportunistic and aimed at achieving the pilot mediation hours post certification as required to qualify to apply to most of the local panels. The sustainable community-based mediation programmes approach is an empowerment strategy that appeals to the effective community mediator who understands that being privy to work with local communities is an opportunity to empower by doing it with them versus doing it for them. This empowerment strategy aims at creating an army of local people with basic mediation know-how and skills, a Long Term Support (LTS) community mediation system.

Long Term Support (LTS) Community Mediation System

People would like to learn how to have 'peace of mind MUCH Faster' - more about the magic of conflict transformation through mediation; the mediation skills to use to resolve day-to-day disagreements within our communities; and how to apply the self-help techniques towards reconciliation to build better the relationships that matter to us. In today’s conflicted world, as mediators, our business is to democratise justice; package, promote and hawk mediation solutions at every rooftop. Because, if more people knew about mediation, they would Choose Mediation First. We need more seekers, thinkers, and actors who ‘GOT this DNA.

As an empowerment strategy, the aim is to create an army of local people as professional mediators, community paramediators groups and school paramediators clubs with high level basic mediation skills to serve three core purposes: firstly, as EWES ‘the early warning emergency system’, thus helping to identify potential disputes; be the port of call within their communities by handling day-to-day local disagreements; and as a pipeline to delegate up to the mediator conflicts that require professional attention.

Dedicated community mediators support creation of sustainable local structures with 5-35 members:

• Community paramediators groups;
• and School paramediators clubs.

These groups and clubs become the focal point persons that the community may tap into for mediation support when disagreements arise, while the community mediator remains on-call where professional attention is required.

*Contributing to the 10,000 Kenyan women mediators agenda.

Community Groups in Kenya 

Community groups may be created or reached at through community mediation centres in counties across the country and at the existing in-person stations and social settings including and not limited to: family councils; chamas; churches; mosques; religious halls; chiefs offices; police stations; schools; colleges; universities; villages; social halls; traders markets; business associations; estate resident commi; youth/women/men groups; wazee wa kijiji; nyumba kumi committees and via virtual social groups.

Session Facilitator Profile: Mediator
Grace Wairimu
Grace Wairimu is an Ignatian Fellow (2021) on Conflict Transformation, a national fellowship for Mediation and Dispute Resolution (MDR) Professionals in Kenya hosted at WASILIANAHUB, where she developed 'The Bridge Model to Family Mediation'. 

Trainer of Trainers (ToT): Wairimu is a Certified Professional Trainer (CPT, IHRM) and has facilitated corporate, SME, and individual training. 

Why Mediation: Wairimu is passionate about building healthy relationships between people through identification of areas of conflicts and ultimately resolving them in a dignified manner. This led her to become a Certified Professional Mediator (CPM). She has also completed The Conflict Transformation Mediator - Foundations Level 1 of 3 by The Program on Conflict Transformation.

Community Mediation: Wairimu provides mediation services by mediating community matters at one of the Chief’s Offices in Nairobi County. As a licensed, certified and practicing Counseling Psychologist, her forte being in Marriage and Family and as a Child and Adolescent Therapist, she has also held psycho-education sessions in the community. In her private practice, she has attended to individuals, couples, families, children and adolescents, in addition to collaboration with 3 religious institutions in Kenya.

Background: Wairimu holds an Executive Bachelors and Diploma in Business Management, a Higher Diploma in Counseling Psychology and has undertaken several short course Certificates. Wairimu trained to become a certified professional trainer in 2012 at IHRM. She has a vast wealth of experience in the Banking and Payment Card Industry, specifically in the area of Risk and Compliance, Operations, and International Trade Finance. 

Membership: Wairimu is a member of The Professional Trainers Association of Kenya (PTAK), The Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association (KCPA), and Nyeri Golf Club (NGC). She is listed on MARC The Mediation Manager for East Africa’s premier professionals in mediation and resolution of disputes.

Interests: Wairimu loves traveling and has experienced a couple of the 7 wonders of the world …which she leaves for you to guess. Green is one of her favourite colours. She spends her free time in green spaces, which she finds very therapeutic and relaxing as she listens to the birds chirping away and recorded melodies. Hand knitting a fancy scarf or booties is no mean feat for her.