MEDIATION: A MEDITATION ON A MEANINGFUL PRACTICE

Mediation is a term and a process that is increasingly being utilized in a variety of contexts and yet it remains poorly understood by many.  What is it? How does it work?  Who uses it?  When does it make sense to try it?  Regardless of your familiarity with the process, this talk is designed to help you understand and visualize the positive impact mediation is already having and the tremendous potential it brings to constructive discourse in all sectors of our society.  Laura Smythe, Executive Director of the Mediation Center of Greater Green Bay will discuss the process of mediation from a perspective achieved from her more than 15 years of practicing the art, 10 years of teaching it to Kindergarten – Ph.D students, and, most recently, as the Director of a community mediation center.

Laura is an attorney, mediator, and educator and has mediated a wide variety of disputes for over 12 years. She has taught conflict resolution, ethics, critical thinking and problem-solving, political science, business law, and social responsibility. Laura currently serves as Executive Director of the Mediation Center of Greater Green Bay, Inc. She also volunteers as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children and serves on the Board of Trustees for an orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa. Most importantly, she is the proud mother of two daughters, Emma and Kathryn.

Music: Gerri Friedberg
Service Leader: Susan Leeder