Mission

Mission: We provide non-judgmental processes for individuals and groups to be heard and to listen, make decisions, and peacefully change their lives, families and communities.

Vision: A peaceful Baltimore, where all residents have the skills to manage and transform conflict and have access to and use community-based conflict resolution programs.

What We Do

Mediation is a voluntary and confidential dispute resolution process in which a neutral mediator assists parties in finding a lasting win-win solution to their conflict. Mediation lets people speak for themselves and make their own decisions.

Mediation is an informal process done in a neutral and private setting with two professionally trained volunteer mediators. They will:
Listen as you explain the issues of the conflict;
Ask questions to help you and the other person clarify and understand the issues;
Guide you through a process to develop solutions; and
Assist you in writing up an agreement that works for everyone involved.

Neutral
The mediator will not take sides, assess blame, or tell you what to do. The mediator will not force you to make a decision.

Confidential
The mediation process is confidential, except in cases of child abuse, elder abuse, and credible threats of violence. The mediators will not give information shared in the mediation process with anyone outside the process.

Voluntary
Mediation is voluntary. Either participant can end the mediation process at any time and no one can be forced to agree to anything that they do not want.

The agreement is a summary of the solutions you and the other person make to solve your dispute. The agreement may be a legally binding document if you wish. To prepare for mediation, think about what you need and what you are willing to do to achieve it.

What is Community Mediation?
Defining community mediation in Maryland, the 10-Point Model of Community Mediation in Maryland was designed collaboratively by members of the community mediation movement during the creation of the Maryland Judiciary's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO).