How does one become a peacemaker? What exactly is a peacemaker?
What type of training or experience must a peacemaker have? Since
I believe we need more people practicing effective peacemaking, let me answer
these questions from my perspective.
First of all, peacemaking at any level is not for wimps. Whenever
you as a third party are interjected or interject yourself into a conflict,
you are consciously walking into a maelstrom of emotions. People
in serious enough conflict to warrant outside help are angry, frustrated,
sometimes hateful, and often despairing. You are working with good
people behaving at their worst. Regardless of the level of peacemaking,
you have to be emotionally and spiritually centered. The conflict
will push you hard in one direction then another. Like a tai chi
master, you must be able to bend, but not break. Further, you must
have a level of maturity and self-confidence that will keep you from becoming
embroiled in the conflict itself.
I see peacemakers working at various levels within our community and
our world. The most common peacemakers are what I call the everyday
peacemakers. These good people have developed a knack for helping
others in conflict. They are found in work places, homes, schools,
and faith communities everywhere. They have very little or no special
training, but have an intuition and empathy for people around them.
They are able to help smooth over differences and maintain harmony around
them. You probably can recognize some of these wonderful people in
your life. These peacemakers work well in the conflicts and disputes
that we deal with everyday. They are the grease monkeys that keep our
social machinery lubricated and running smoothly.
The next peacemakers are community mediators. These people are
volunteers who have gone through some type of basic mediation training.
People working in small claims mediations for the Better Business Bureau,
Victim Offender mediations in juvenile criminal offenses, and neighborhood
disputes in community justice centers represent this type of peacemaker.
Community mediators are devoted workers for peace, harmony, and social justice.
They are not afraid to move into more complicated, difficult conflicts.
I have trained hundreds of these dedicated people and am always amazed
at their passion and dedication to helping others. Training at this
level ranges from 12 to 40 hours of formal class work plus several co-mediations.
These volunteers may mediate two or three cases per year or more.
Beyond community mediators, professional practice begins. For
some, mediation is part of the job description. For example, many
human resource executives are professional mediators. Many courts
have full time child custody and support mediators. Some courts have
full time mediators employed to help litigants resolve disputes without
trial or appeal. Many trial judges preside over civil settlement
conferences, a form of mediation. Other people offer mediation services
in conjunction with their primary professional work. Lawyers and psychologists
are good examples of these types of mediators. Finally, there are
professional neutrals who work full time as mediators.
Professional mediators, whether full time or not, generally have a terminal
graduate degree of some kind. A graduate degree is not required for
mediation, but the credibility, experience, and knowledge of a graduate
degree seems to set a minimum standard of competence. Typically, these
mediators have attended at least a 40 hour basic course in mediation or its
equivalent. In addition, they attend continuing education classes to
stay current in the field. Professional mediators may specialize in particular
subject areas, such as labor relations, family law, or civil litigation.
They may be members of private or public mediator panels. A typical
panel might be maintained by your local court. To qualify for inclusion
on a panel, mediators usually must meet minimum education and experience
requirements.
The final level for peacemaking consists of those who have a professional
degree (e.g., a J.D., MBA or a Ph.D.) and go back to school for another
graduate degree specifically in peacemaking or conflict resolution. I fall
into this category as I have a law degree and a masters degree in peacemaking
and conflict studies.
The graduate programs vary in approach and content. For example,
Pepperdine School of Law offers both a masters degree in Conflict Resolution
and an LLM (master’s in law) in Conflict Resolution. The Pepperdine
program is very law-oriented. In contrast, Fresno Pacific University
offers a masters degree in Peacemaking and Conflict Studies. This program
is not law-oriented, but takes a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding
conflict and peacemaking processes. Other graduate schools in California
offer still other approaches and emphases.
There are many levels of peacemaking and many different types of peacemakers.
As more people train and practice in the field, I believe we will see a
new profession emerge from the synthesis of these many levels of practice.
Douglas E. Noll, Esq. is a lawyer specializing in peacemaking and mediation
of difficult and intractable conflicts throughout California. His firm,
Douglas E. Noll and Associates is based in Central California. He may
be reached through his website
and email at doug@nollassociates.com