Conflict Resolution Center of the West Shore, Inc. (CRC) was founded in Westlake in 1995 by Michelle Murphy as an organization to help mitigate youth violence, and to help people resolve their issues peacefully. We met recently with Executive Director Maureen Mizerak, and listened as she outlined the services CRC provides;
Conflict Resolution Center of the West Shore, Inc. is a non-profit, community-based center providing mediation services and conflict resolution training and education to Northeast Ohio. We're a private, non-profit agency with a 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To make services accessible for all community members, CRC maintains two offices, one in Westlake and another in Lorain.
Mediation is a process which brings participants in a dispute together to sit down with a mediator and discuss their conflict. The goal of mediation is to create a safe space for people to hear each other's concerns and create options and solutions to resolve the issues. It's a confidential, private way of communicating that does not focus on blame or fault.
A mediator is a neutral person who is present to help the participants talk to each other. The mediator will give everyone the opportunity to voice their concerns and needs. The mediator is not a judge, and he or she will not make decisions or give suggestions. It's up to the participants to develop their own acceptable solution.
Mediation is available for youths, families, businesses, neighborhood disputes, and employee/employer disputes. CRC also conducts truancy mediations for schools on issues of tardiness and absenteeism. Cases can be referred by community juvenile diversion programs, police departments, schools, agencies, counselors, employers, self-referrals, and many others.
Programs and training include anger management, conflict management, bully prevention, and gun safety for youth. Trainings for anger management, conflict management and specially designed programs are available as needed for agencies and businesses. One of the programs we've started this year is a volunteer program where AmeriCorp volunteers are assigned to our agency as full-time help. Cynthia Randall, one of our two AmeriCorp volunteers, came to us from Lakewood and helps us with volunteer recruitment, mediations, program development, and public relations.
We always have a need for volunteers, and we provide training for volunteer mediators. Our volunteer mediators have successfully complete fifteen hours of basic mediation training offered through CRC and previously approved by the Supreme Court of Ohio and the State of Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board. In addition to conducting mediations, our volunteers also help in the office, with fund raising activities, and other youth and community activities.
CRC depends of financial support from the entire community to maintain current programs and begin new initiatives. Donations in the form of cash contributions and in-kind donations are not only needed, but can be tax-deductible for those individuals and businesses that itemize.
Conflict resolution is the sensible, productive alternative to violence and litigation. Call the Conflict Resolution Center of the West Shore, Inc. today, and don't forget to tell them The Advocate sent you!
