Wed 31 Oct 2018
Growing a Community of Practice to Enhance Access to Justice
Posted by Walter.Brynjolfson
Lori Charvat shares one of her personal aspirations as the newly appointed Chair of the Mediate BC Board of Directors. Namely, to "explore ways we can build greater connection among mediators—old and new—to learn together in a community of practice." This post was written for the November 2018 Mediate BC Newsletter.
I am honoured to be a part of Mediate BC, and to take on the role of Chair of our Board. Over the years, Mediate BC has done some really important work to advance dispute resolution and peacemaking in our Province – by managing rosters of qualified mediators, developing new mediators through practicums, offering public education, coordinating programs to deliver conflict resolution services, and playing an active leadership role as strategists and collaborators in various justice service initiatives. And there is so much more for us to do to further our mission of leading, promoting and facilitating collaborative dispute resolution in BC. When our Board meets in November, we will discuss strategies and next steps to deliver on our mission. So, stay tuned. As for me, personally, I would like to explore ways we can build greater connection among mediators—old and new—to learn together in a community of practice. Mediate BC’s mandate is to serve the public interest by promoting high quality, ethical dispute resolution services. We do this, in part, through our Rosters, which require standards for admission and continuing education. But, we know that mediators, especially those new to the profession, are eager to connect with others in order to develop their skills and knowledge. There are already organizations in place, like CoRE and the Justice Institute, who are doing great work in training and developing mediators. Building on this, I would like to deepen our partnerships to further develop a community of practice of mediators – which I see as a means to strengthen the profession as a whole and to ultimately serve the public by providing greater access to quality justice. My invitation to those of you reading this newsletter: send me a brief message at board@mediatebc.com and share your thoughts about:
1) what benefits you would like to receive from a community of practice of mediators; and
2) what efforts you would like to contribute to creating a community of practice.
I look forward to connecting.
About the Author
Lori Charvat is the current Chair of the Mediate BC Board of Directors. In her private practice, she is a Civil Mediator and an executive coach who strives to build better workplaces. Visit her website, Sandbox Consulting, for more information.
