Jason and Markus are two teenagers who only knew each other because they sometimes hung out at the same park. One afternoon Jason started pushing Markus around because he had heard rumors that Markus was trying to date his girlfriend Veronica. Markus videotaped their altercation and Jason was arrested for battery and sent to mediation by the court.

That’s when Jason and Markus, along with their parents, met with a mediator from the Center for Conflict Resolution, an IEJF grantee.

The mediator asked them both questions about the incident and came to learn that both Markus and Jason had been at the park to make friends and expressed feelings of isolation and lonlieness. During the conversation, Jason shared he had been dealing with anger management issues, while Markus explained that he and Veronica were very good friends.

With the mediator’s assistance, the young men were able to discuss their dynamic and agree to use the park again with no future confrontations. Markus also deleted the video from his social media pages.

This story illustrates how mediation resolves conflicts, finding solutions that work for both parties while avoiding costly court proceedings.

The Center for Conflict Resolution is an independent, not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization with a mission to work with individuals, communities, courts and other institutions to manage and resolve conflict. Since 1979, CCR has accomplished this mission by offering pro bono mediation services and conflict management training to Chicago area institutions, organizations and businesses. The IEJF has been supporting CCR since its first grant round in 2001.  We are believers.