Date: Thu, 7 Dec 1995 20:17:33 -0500
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From: rramkay@ccs.carleton.ca (Rena Ramkay)
To: Multiple recipients of list <ccrnet@pulsar.acast.nova.edu>
Subject: Re: research on conflict training

hi everyone!

	i have been eavesdropping for a number of months now and haven't
introduced myself... i am the program coordinator at the Mediation Centre
at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario (you probably know that's in
Canada). we offer a peer, co-mediation service to staff, faculty, students
and Ottawa residents; we have an active public education and training
program and we are doing necessary work in teaching and research (Canada
hasn't got the same kind of peace studies/conflict resolution programs
that many U.S. colleges/universities do.  there are 2 paid staff
positions: myself and the director (an academic appt.), Cheryl Picard -
she's much more of a practitioner and has in fact developed our mediation
model and was the Centre's founder.  as it stands, the coordinator
position is to be responsible for the service and the public education and
training programs and the director is to be responsible for teaching and
research.  Cheryl and i work in all three areas, despite our roles on
paper.  i have also been very committed to a community philosophy and
have, in many ways, made this ethos a strong part of our program - this is
because i come from an activist background, where, in many cases, i acted
as an advocate for people on the margins.  all this is rather lengthy -
and all i really wanted to do was to respond to the conflict resolution
research question.

here goes... a current PhD candidate in social psychology, catherine
borshuk, conducted a program evaluation at the mediation centre for her
M.A. thesis requirements - she looked at measuring community benefit
through an evaluation of our mediators.  a series of pre-training
questionnaires were filled out by volunteers accepted as mediators to our
program; those who weren't accepted were also questioned as the control
group.  she then followed up with immediate post-training tests and tests
3 or 4 months later, determining if our mediators carried a "peace virus",
meaning "do they infect their workplaces, homes, neighbourhoods,
classrooms with peace through the use of their conflict res. skills in
de-escalating conflicts and informally resolving disputes?"  through
self-assessment, she discovered that many did.  she has all kinds of
interesting instruments and can talk much more competently about her
research.  if you'd like to reach her directly, her e-mail address is: 

		cborshuk@ccs.carleton.ca

anyhow... it's been interesting and informative to eavesdrop.  thanks!


-- 
Rena Ramkay
The Mediation Centre
Carleton University
Ottawa, Canada