Deployed Alternative Dispute Resolution Specialists help resolve conflicts in disaster areas. Tim Ruebke, Executive Director of Harrisonburg’s FairField Center recently returned from a 38-day stint as a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Specialist assisting relief efforts in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. ADR Specialists are used to implement …
FairField offers the training for individuals and businesses seeking Virginia Supreme Court certification to mediate court cases. All FairField coursework and all trainers are certified by the Virginia Supreme Court. Trainees take short courses (4-20 hours each) and engage in observations and co-mediations in order to qualify for state exams. Trainees must have a bachelor’s …
Funding designated for Harrisonburg International Festival & Community Project. HARRISONBURG (August 20, 2018) Governor Ralph Northam announced today that the Community Mediation Center DBA FairField Center has received $10,000 from the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) Marketing Leverage Program grant fund for its Harrisonburg International Festival & Community program. In total VTC awarded more than $890,000 …
Harrisonburg’s FairField Center announced a recent addition to its Board of Directors, with Eastern Mennonite University (EMU)’s Travis Pettit coming on as a director. Pettit brings a background in management, organizational development, banking, and marketing to the board. He is currently director of admissions and marketing for all graduate, adult, and seminary programs at EMU. …
Raising a child in different homes can be challenging at times. FairField’s Meeting in the Middle class focuses on co-parenting through separation and divorce. It provides parents and caregivers with the opportunity to think critically about what is best for their child and how they can work together to accomplish it. Some of the topics …
No one really enjoys having an authentic difficult conversation. At times, just the thought of talking about a tough subject with “the other” can turn a stomach upside down, cause heart palpitations, and make knees wobbly. With those sensations, along with the worry of making things worse, the appeal of putting off the discussion can …
According to a 2008 study by CPP Inc.–publishers of the Myers-Briggs Assessment and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument — U.S. employees spent 2.8 hours per week dealing with conflict. This amounts to approximately $359 billion in in paid hours (based on average hourly earnings of $17.95), or the equivalent of 385 million working days. FairField …
Growth, accessibility, and safety prompt change in venue. HARRISONBURG (July 10, 2018) — The Harrisonburg International Festival Planning Committee announced today that Harrisonburg City Council has approved relocation of the annual event to downtown Harrisonburg. Previously held in Harrisonburg’s Hillandale Park, the festival’s popularity and growth has prompted the relocation. Organizers believe this change in …
Conflict is a normal and even healthy part of relationships. Yet sometimes we get caught in a loop of ongoing disagreement in our personal and professional lives that is stressful and non-productive. Sometimes it’s hard to keep a cool head. For more than 30 years, FairField Center has demonstrated when individuals and groups improve their …
What’s old is new again; we’ve gone retro in rolling out this latest newsletter. Welcome to the new FairField Turning Points! A few of you may remember that “Turning Points” was the name of the Community Mediation Center’s first newsletter back in the 1980s! Our new format – no longer provided to you by printing, folding, and mailing …