Hi friends,
As the weather improves, and we spring forward, it is an exciting time for CDSC! We are continuing to spread the word about about the importance of mediation, and to do the work that shows its great value.
We were recently selected by the Trial Court to provide services through a new Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Pilot program in Waltham District Court, one of three programs selected for three courts statewide where this program is being piloted. Thank you to our volunteers who signed up to help with this pilot program! Speaking of thanking volunteers, we owe a big thank you as well to our volunteers who reached out to local legislators to emphasize the importance and impact of community mediation as the legislature considers funding for community mediation in a challenging budgetary environment!
On the training front, I’m excited to shout out our staff and in particular our AmeriCorps Member Emma Knight for organizing two full-day trainings for Chelsea middle school students in February and March, totaling over 200 middle schoolers trained over two days! (Just one of many opportunities for AmeriCorps members at CDSC!) This included conflict skills training sessions conducted in Spanish, and I’m excited to announce we have translated many of our materials into other languages such as Spanish, Vietnamese, Haitian-Creole, Russian, and Mandarin thanks to a capacity-building grant from the Mass. Bar Foundation!
We have also started working with Community Consulting Teams (CCT) Boston to improve our outreach efforts, and they will be joining our in-person Board retreat this week to share their findings so far. The retreat will be facilitated by Sue Marsh, our Director of Operations who is entering retirement but thankfully still helping CDSC in a new capacity. All of that and more in the newsletter below!
Onward,
Pedro Spivakovsky-Gonzalez
Executive Director
Is mediation cost-effective?
It’s intuitive that mediation is a cost-saving solution to disputes. But is that sense backed up by real numbers?
Data published by the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration clearly demonstrates that cost-effectiveness of mediation. Compiling the data for FY24 alone makes a compelling case. The state allocated $3.2 million to a statewide network of community mediation centers (including CDSC), and the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration tracked the impact and found the resulting savings were impressive. Just look:
- $18.6 million in cost-savings to citizens and public institutions in avoided and resolved conflicts:
- $6,452,000 saved in avoided shelter costs from 279 avoided homeless shelter stays.
- $3,434,909 recovered by consumers from consumer mediations. $3,006,000 to the court system/state from 1,002 successful mediations avoiding trial.
- $2,434,800 avoided lawyer fees and filing fees from 2,029 cases mediated. $1,734,255 saved in lost rent, avoided pre-trial, trial, and post-trial costs from 279 mediations.
- $777,375 saved from 3,455 private mediation hours avoided.
- $410,000 saved to parties from not using private mediators in 82 divorce mediations.
- $191,700 saved to parties from 27 complex multi-party disputes.
- $102,460 from avoided student suspensions from 188 peer mediations. $80,000 saved for local businesses/organizations from 8 workplace mediations.
The Commonwealth funds general mediation, mediation programs for youth and formerly incarcerated people, and housing mediations. CDSC is fortunate to have secured funding from the Commonwealth during its recent application round, and looks forward to continuing to demonstrate strong returns on our state’s investment!
Benefits of mediating with CDSC
CDSC is always looking for talented mediators to join our roster. Applicants must have:
- Completed their 32-hour Basic Mediation training
- Have experience mediating, through CDSC’s Practicum program, or an apprenticeship program with another mediation center, or equivalent
experience
The benefits for our volunteers are clear: volunteers gain experience and hone their mediation skills, working with on a wide variety of disputes. As CDSC practices co-mediation, volunteers are always paired with another mediator, to support and share the work of a mediation. Following the mediation – whether the dispute is resolved or not – mediators are offered the opportunity to review the process with our Case Coordinator, to reflect upon the challenges and lessons learned.
Thanks to our committed roster, CDSC has been able to serve many more disputants than we’ve ever imagined. To support our volunteers, CDSC offers monthly roundtables to hone specific skills or to consider important topics in mediation. Each spring, we recognize specific volunteers through our annual Volunteer Appreciation event, and every member of our roster is a member of our partnership with the Huntington Theater Initiative. Thanks to this partnership, every CDSC volunteer can use our membership to purchase tickets to any available seat at the Huntington, Lyric and Speakeasy Theaters at any performance without restriction for just $20.
A thank you to Sue!
As you may know, in January our Director of Operations, Sue Marsh, retired and left her full-time role at the Community Dispute Settlement Center. We are grateful that she is continuing work with us in a semi-retired capacity, so you may continue to hear from her. We are so appreciative of the many things Sue contributed to our team as a full-time team member. Her positive impact at CDSC will be felt for years to come. We miss hearing from her every day, but are glad to get to continue working with her!
Help us find an AmeriCorps Fellow!
Interested in a year of service with a well-known, well-regarded nonprofit in Cambridge, MA, serving the Greater Boston area? Interested in learning more about peer mediation and conflict resolution? Join us!
What we’re looking for:
Good communication skills, hardworking, willing to learn new skills, and someone committed to supporting the CDSC team. Familiarity with Google and Microsoft platforms expected. Experience working with teens a plus. Proficiency in languages in addition to English a plus. Sense of humor always welcome. Service begins in mid-August 2025.
To apply:
Have the interested person fill out an application. Applications will be accepted until the role is filled.
Mediation (and peacekeeping) in the media
Looking for a way to hibernate on your couch AND learn a bit more about some inspirational peacekeepers? Consider these movies available to stream in your living room!
“If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late night visit from Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States.” So starts the promotional slogan for Mary Wharton’s documentary “Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President.” You probably recognize President Carter as the architect of the Camp David Accords, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and the co-founder of the Carter Center, which leads peacekeeping and public health initiatives worldwide. Learn about his love for music (and musicians) of all types, including rock, jazz, folk, classical and more in the documentary. Streaming on MAX.
Iconic director Terance Malik profiled Franz Jagerstatter, an Austrian farmer and devout Catholic who refused to fight for the Nazis, and wrote in “Ten Questions” of his concerns about cooperating with the Nazis. Sentenced to death and executed, Jagerstatter is “venerated as a martyr and has been beatified by the Catholic Church.” A film about his story, “A Hidden Life,” premiered at Cannes and was critically praised. You can stream the film on Hulu, Apple and Amazon.
In her film “Selma” Ava Duvernay put a film spotlight on Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent protests to support voting rights. Starring a strong cast including David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkerson, and Carmen Ojoggo, the film won critical and popular acclaim, receiving nominations for Golden Globe and Academy awards. Duvernay’s other work – including “13th” and “When They See Us” will be of interest to viewers interested in social justice issues. You can stream “Selma” on Paramount, Hulu and Amazon.
Volunteer Spotlight: Kym Oliver
Kym Oliver notes that she’s lived many lives – and hearing her story, she’s right.
From growing up in rural Michigan with pigs, horses and chickens; to starting her own marketing and graphic design business while working full-time in Flint; to re-settling in Boston to be near daughters attending Boston colleges – Kym has packed many lifetimes in one. CDSC is grateful she’s managed to squeeze us in, joining us as a volunteer mediator and a member of our Board of Directors.
Kym’s always been an inveterate volunteer and nonprofit supporter. “A ballerina in my mind,” she is a volunteer with the Boston Ballet and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her background in Special Events made a good fit for volunteering with events planner AJ Events.
Four years ago, Kym was learning more about mediation and came upon CDSC. “Mediation made a lot of sense, and I could see it used in project management, where there’s often a lot of meetings with a lot of tension. Helping to find common ground would be a great skill to have.” In the fall of 2023, she completed CDSC’s well-regarded Basic Mediation Training, and finished her Practicum this past fall. Now a member of our roster, she also serves as a member of our Board of Directors, with a particular eye to CDSC events, marketing and outreach.
“What I like best about mediation is the chance to listen to people’s stories, to give individuals the chance to be heard,” Kym said. “Mediation allows individuals to tell their story in their words, and to tell their vision of resolution.” She encourages others to volunteer: “CDSC provides an awesome opportunity to be trained as a mediator and then supported as a volunteer. With the legal system so clogged up, mediation is a hidden gem.”