University Center for mediation and conflict studies

Nadezhda V. Samsonova
Professor
Education Institute, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
Kaliningrad, Russia

Head
Center for Mediation and Conflict Studies, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
Kaliningrad, Russia

A modern university as an institution for the socialization of youth forms many vital competencies. Among them there is the competence to resolve disputes peacefully through mediation. A university graduate capable of contractual relations is guaranteed to seek and find ways to achieve mutually beneficial solutions in conflict situations. Any ambiguous situation for a skilled in conflict resolution citizen, employee, family member poses a chance to transform causes of a conflict rather than a threat It is important that students have practical experience in resolving disputes on the implementation of the rights to education based on the regulations and standards of mediation. It is exactly for this purpose a center for mediation and conflict studies can be organized in the structure of a university, where students, teachers, and administration staff would have the opportunity to restore their legitimate rights and interests in the quality of education conditions.

The Center for Mediation and Conflict Studies of the Institute of Education of the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in Kaliningrad, Russia was created as a humanitarian service for students and university staff. On a voluntary basis the Center gives opportunities for disputes regarding the implementation of the rights to quality education to be declared and settled. The social mission of the Center is to develop scientific and methodological support for the activities of mediation and reconciliation services in organizations of education, culture, physical culture and sports, healthcare and social sphere of the Kaliningrad region.

The organizational and methodological direction of the Center’s activities is the organization and methodological support of school mediation services and reconciliation services in social service institutions for orphans and children left without parental care. In Nash Dom (Our House) the Center for Assistance to Children Left without Parental Care in Zelenogradsk, town in the Kaliningrad region, a Resource Center is being organized for methodological support of mediation (reconciliation) services. Educators and specialists in social rehabilitation work master restorative and conciliatory technologies in working with children who are in conflict with their family, their peers, law, and employees of the Center. Competence in mediation denotes commitment to the values ​​of reconciliation and reconciliation of interests. Mastering the competence of mediation to a certain extent guarantees the collective responsibility of educators, social workers, and teachers for a comfortable environment for the life of orphans.

The employees of the Center carry out a practical direction, during which the practice of conciliation procedures is implemented, implement monitoring of conflict and effectiveness of mediation practices in educational organizations and social service institutions for orphans and children left without parental care. Parents of students of educational organizations received the opportunity to protect the rights of children to education. During the reconciliation meetings, teachers, parents and students, with the help of a mediator, were able to see in the conflict not only the violated right to a safe and comfortable educational environment, to a fair assessment of children’s educational achievements, but also organizational, qualification deficits of teachers. The interests of the parties to the conflict, tested for mediation ability, become the basis for new solutions that increase the level of children’s well-being. That is the value and logic of resolving conflicts involving children, families, employees of educational institutions and social services.

The university Center for Mediation and Conflict Studies, implementing the educational direction, conducts advanced training courses to improve the skills of managers and employees of organizations and enterprises. Such courses as “Conflict Management in Cultural Institutions” (18 academic hours), “Conflict Management in Health Care Institutions” (18 academic hours), “Transformation of the Educational Conflict Environment” (36 academic hours) have been developed and proved themselves to be useful for the practice of labor dispute mediation. Training of volunteers for school mediation is carried out according to the developed program “Social Mediator School”. As a part of parental education, round tables and discussion platforms were organized in schools of the Kaliningrad region on the possibility of integrating family and school mediation. School become a platform for resolving disputes between parents of divorced families on the issues of education and upbringing of children. This possibility increases the likelihood of achieving a qualitative level of child well-being. The values ​​of mediation and negotiation have a positive effect on the status of a child from a divorced family.

The university Center for Mediation and Conflict Studies, with the status of a scientific and educational center, implements the master’s program “Mediation in Education and the Social Sphere”. All graduates are encouraged to obtain the additional qualification of “Dispute Resolution Specialist”. There is only one condition for undergraduates – these are the value orientations. Only a true peacemaker in his soul makes a good social mediator, if a peaceful existence is their unconditional value, seeing the opportunities when others leave.

Email: NSamsonova@kantiana.ru

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