Elder Mediation in an Ethnic Community Setting - a case study

It was somewhere in November 2021 when I shared my presentation on the above topic with the Mediation World, under the umbrella of the International Mediation Week, markedly celebrated in Australia too. The host for the Australian event was the Mediation Institute, headed by Joanne Law.

The theme of the Week was Culture and Mediation and my brain immediately recalled a couple of cases where cultural ethnic background featured as an important element in the mediation process. And not only that - the parties where in their late sixties, a perfect storm for an interesting case study.

My presentation gathered interested and, when an opportunity arose to set up a webinar for the joint Resolution Institute (RI) AUS and NZ and the Elder Mediation Australasian Network, EMAN, I volunteered to re-run the presentation from November. The date was set for the 23rd March 2022.

Anna Quinn, a colleague from EMAN and RI, and a NZ Mediator, offered to support me by creating an ambient of a ‘fire-side chat’, which benefited the overall presentation by adding vibrancy and creating a relaxed but dynamic and involving atmosphere for the listeners . Anna and I had a couple of catch ups beforehand, to ensure we are on the same page and agree on how to tackle some more challenging issues during the presentation.

Now, a couple of days after the webinar, which will be sold by the RI over the next three months, I am pleased to say that the feedback was positive and encouraging.

Over the next few weeks, I will write about some key concepts touched on during the hour-long webinar and explore ideas that have been addressed in the case study.

Until then,

Dovidjenja and Good bye!