Agree to Mediate - Mr. Prip Social Studies - Home



Six stages of MediationAgree to MediateStorytelling and Gathering Points of ViewFocus on Interests and NeedsCreate Win-Win SolutionsEvaluate OptionsCreate an Agreement Mediator“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.Your task as a mediator is to help resolve conflicts. You want to help and care about resolving conflicts. In that leadership role, you should be friendly and empathetic to those in the conflict. This requires you to be a good listener and take in all the facts. It also requires you to support understanding by helping each party to see the other’s perspective. In order to do that well, you will need to show no prejudice or partiality and certainly not take a side. You want to support good communication. Some major obstacles to communication are interrupting or changing the subject, judging or offering advice, criticizing, joking around or laughing at each other, and stereotyping or making assumptions. Ways to support good communication includesummarizing factual information with statement like:I hear you saying…It seems that you are feeling pretty…listen for emotions and acknowledge themExample “My mom is mean and bossy and she won’t let me go the movie. I hate her!”Summary: Your mother won’t let you go the movie and that makes you feel very angry. Encourage the use of the following statement:I feel ______________ (specific emotion) when you _______________ (specific behavior) because I need _______________ (specific need). Would you be willing to ___________________ (specific request).ask questions for clarification like:Can you tell me more about…What happened next? How would you like this to turn out?show that you are listening through body languageposture (leaning in)eye contactnoddingfacial expressionsIn order to support conflict resolution, mediators attempt to move the parties through the six steps of mediation: Agree to Mediate: Use the script on the back as a guide to beginning the mediation Storytelling and Gathering Points of View: Encourage each party to share their storyFocus on Interests and Needs: Identify the needs behind the conflictCreate Win-Win Solutions: Brainstorm possible solutions Evaluate Options: Consider the consequences for different optionsCreate an Agreement: Make sure that it is specific (Who, What When, Where), balanced, do-able, and will it solve the problem. (Mediator): "Hello. My name is __________. First of all, I want to welcome you all to this mediation today; thank you for coming. I am here to help you resolve the conflict between you. What are your names, or how would you prefer that we address you?”Have the participants introduce themselves. (Mediator): "Ok great, thanks. I’d like to explain a bit about how the mediation process works and what we'll be doing here today, and at the end if you have any questions we'll be happy to answer them.""First we'll hear each of you tell your side of the story of what happened or what it is that is bothering you. I’ll ask some questions to make sure that we understand you and then give you some more time to explain how you see things and how you feel. I’ll try and help you listen to each other and then we'll see if we can come up with ideas for how to resolve the conflict. At the end, if we come up with a solution that everyone feels is fair and that everyone agrees to, we can sign an agreement (or shake on it).""The mediation can take time. If we reach the end of the time that we have today and we still haven't reached a resolution, we can always set up another mediation. Sometimes these things can take time.""It's important for me to make it clear that everything that you say here in this room stays between us. I won't tell others about the things that you say here. You can feel safe here to share your feelings or to talk about things that I understand are difficult to talk about. I promise that I will listen and I won't share what you say with anyone.""It's also important for me to tell you that my job is to help you understand each other better and hopefully to be able to come up with a solution that works for all of you. I’m not here to judge you, or to decide who is right and who is wrong. As a mediator, I promise to try my hardest to remain neutral. I know that all of you have your own perspective and feelings about what happened, and I respect that.""That's about it. Does anyone have any questions about the process?"Answer any questions(Mediator): "Great. Who would like to start by telling their side of the story?"BackgroundIn October 1962, the United States and Russia moved the closest to nuclear war the world had ever seen. The confrontation lasted thirteen days as the United States and Russia attempted to resolve their differences regarding the placement of missiles in Cuba. The missile sites were built there after Kennedy failed to overthrow Fidel Castro and the communist government of Cuba in the Bay of Pigs invasion. Russia on the other hand was concerned about the recent placement of missiles near Russia in Turkey and the Cuban missile sites equalized the relationship. The tensions came to a head when the United States set of a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent Russian supplies reaching Cuba. John F Kennedy (President of the United States)13970000The Cuban Revolution has successfully established a communist government with Fidel Castro in power. This is a troubling expansion of communism and Russian influence in the region with Cuba’s alliance with the Soviet Union. The previous president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, has broken off relations with Cuba and placed an embargo (a ban on trade) on Cuba for taking US property in Cuba. You have continued the policy of containment in Europe by placing missiles in Turkey and Italy. In an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government, you authorized an invasion of Cuba in 1961. The CIA trained and equipped Cuban exiles to invade the Bay of Pigs, but the operation is a failure. In response to the invasion, the Soviet Union warns the US that another invasion of Cuba could mean war with them.On October 14, 1962, an American U2 spy plane captures photos of Soviet missile sites in Cuba (see Figure 1). This disturbing news places missiles in range of US targets (see Figure 2). This threat to national security is unacceptable. You decide against a military air strike on the missile sites because it might begin a war with the Soviet Union. Rather you create a military blockade to prevent the Russian supplies from reaching Cuba. According to international laws that protect open trade on the ocean, this blockade is an act of war. In a televised speech on October 22, 1962, you tell the world that the naval blockade of Cuba will not be lifted until Soviet missiles are removed. The Soviets have responded that the missile sites are there to defend Cuba against the attack of an aggressor, namely the United States. Figure 1 A photograph of a ballistic missile base in Cuba is used as evidence with which the U.S. orders a naval blockade of Cuba during the crisis. (Getty Images)Figure 2: The Threats of the Cuban Missiles, 1962Nikita Khrushchev (First Secretary of the Communist Party, Leader of the Soviet Union)1397057785The US and Soviet Union are already in an arms race, especially concerning missile capabilities. Russia had not invested as much in long range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as the US, but rather on medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles (MRBMs and IRBMs). Also in April 1962, the US has just installed IRBMs in Turkey threatening the Soviet sense of national security (see Figure 3). When US invaded Cuba in the Bay of Pigs, you threatened the US with war if they were to attempt that again. Castro and you agree to place nuclear missiles in Cuba in order to rebalance the arms race, as well as, preventing further US invasions of Cuba. The United States has now established a naval blockade to prevent Soviet ships from reaching Cuba. According to international laws that protect open trade on the ocean, this blockade is an act of war. Figure 3 US missile base in TurkeyFidel Castro (Prime Minister of Cuba)The guerilla war you waged against the Cuban military dictator Fulgencio Batista, who was supported by the United States, was a success. The revolution has freed Cuba from decades of American intervention and established a new communist government with you as leader. With the United States as your closest neighbor and hostile to your communist government, you have already turned to the Soviet Union as an ally for support. In 1961, the United States has again tried to intervene in Cuban affairs by invading the Bay of Pigs (see Figure 4), but the military has defeated them. This attempt at overthrowing the government of the people is unacceptable. In order to prevent another attack, you build missiles sites with Russian support. Now the US has set up a naval blockade to prevent Russian ships from entering Cuba. This “quarantine” as Kennedy calls it, is a break with international law that allows free movement upon international waters. This is an act of war. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 4: Map of CubaOutcome The conflict was resolved with the removal of missile sites from both parties. The United States agreed to not invade Cuba again and remove missiles from Turkey. Russia agreed to remove the missile sites from Cuba subject to United Nations verification. This conflict helped set up a hotline between Washington DC and Moscow in order to support quick and clear communication. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download