This past year community leaders from San Diego County have had the opportunity to take The Exchange, a free training on how to manage conflicts they encounter in the community and their workplaces. The training was provided by the National Conflict Resolution Center, (NCRC) an organization that has been mediating conflicts and training leaders to better manage disputes in San Diego since 1983.
This course is designed to teach community leaders, who frequently face conflicts, a process that helps them manage their conflicts themselves so that they do not interfere with their productivity, time or add stress. The training is interactive, fun and educational. Some of the trainees who attended this session included leaders from organizations such as Amigas Punto Com, San Ysidro School District, SDCOE Migrant Education, Chula Vista Elementary School District, Familias Sanas y Activas, and San Diego Hunger Coalition. One of the attendees, Flor Garza from SDCOE Migrant Education remarked: “This training gave me the tools to communicate and listen effectively, especially since I work with different people everyday, and this course gave me the security I need to manage conflicts.” The general feeling after the training was a sense of awareness and appreciation for the skills they learned and practiced.
NCRC will be hosting future trainings, and the next training will be in Spanish on November 19, 2010, which is already filling up. This training is free and open to all community and workplace leaders who are interested in learning conflict management skills. NCRC also offers this training in English, and the dates for those trainings are, November 9 and 10 and December 2 and 3. If you are interested in signing up for one of the trainings, please contact Natalie McKenna at NMckenna@ncrconline.com.
NCRC also provides mediation services at no cost to the participants. If you are currently involved in a dispute, whether it is a personal issue such as with a neighbor, a co-worker, a roommate or a parent with their teenager; a financial issue under $10,000; or a landlord/tenant issue, NCRC has trained mediators that can assist you to resolve it. If you would like information about mediation services contact Luis Gonzalez at (619) 428-3200.