What's Happening in Conflict Resolution" is a weekly roundup of the all the ADR news, jobs, events and more. Check it out each week and view past versions [HERE].
Weekly Conversation
ADRHub is now hosting a topic for discussion and debate!
With the holiday season upon us, we might find ourselves discussing hot button issues, therefore we ask conflict specialists to reflect on the following question:
What are the best practices for having constructive (and maybe even difficult) conversations over the holiday season?
Click HERE to join the conversation!
Conflict Engagement and ADR in the News
Hate rehab: why some want alternative to jail for racist graffiti
By Amanda Pfeffer (11/22/16. CBC News. Photo from Pixaboy).
Religious leaders in Ottawa are suggesting an alternative to jail should be explored for the person found responsible for spray-painting racist graffiti on several buildings last week.
Police have been interviewing a teen who faces 20 charges linked to six graffiti incidents that took place between Sunday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 19.
The graffiti included swastikas and racial slurs spray-painted on signs and exterior walls of synagogues, a Muslim community centre and a United Church.
The final act of vandalism took place Saturday night at a Jewish community centre near Broadview Avenuem which led to an arrest and charges against a teenager.
The most serious of the charges — six counts for each incident of mischief related to religious property — carries a maximum 10-year sentence if "the commission of the mischief is motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on religion, race, colour or national or ethnic origin," according to Canada's Criminal Code.
The charges have not been tested in court.
But not everyone wants to see the person responsible punished with a long jail sentence. Click HERE to see how the religious community in Ottawa wants to use restorative justice to help the teen find redemption.
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Somali presidents (sic) seeks mediation amid violence during vote
Author not credited (11/22/16. defence Web/Reuters)
Somali politicians and clan elders report violence and irregularities in voting for a new parliament, limited to just 14,000 citizens due to an Islamist insurgency and the president has urged all parties to embrace mediation if disputes arise.
The election of the 275-seat parliament is due to end this month after voters including elders and prominent figures spent several weeks electing lawmakers for each region. The lawmakers then pick the next president.
Islamist militant attacks meant authorities could enfranchise only a small fraction of Somalia's 11 million people who have endured more than two decades of conflict and chaos. Click HERE to learn more about the electoral issues.
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Feature story: Divided Cypriot teens find common ground hereBy Kate Daly (11/21/16. The Almanac. Image from Pixabay)
"I'm sorry to go," Nelly admitted at a group dinner she helped prepare right before she left the U.S. in late July. She is one of six teenagers who became new best friends when they came to this area for four weeks, and then flew home to Cyprus, an island nation designed to keep many of its people separate.
"In a country divided, people united" they cheered three times in unison at dinner that night at Brad and Becky Stirn's Woodside home. Earlier in the evening the teenagers sang a Bruno Mars song repeating the chorus: "You can count on me like one two three, I'll be there." Find out more about the division of Cyprus and how the teens are bonding despite the issues that keep the island divided HERE.
Good Reads: Blogs, Books, and More!
How to survive Thanksgiving in these politically divisive times
By Susan Du (11/21/16. Citypages. Image from Pixabay)
Despite the best efforts of conflict-averse hosts to maintain Thanksgiving as a day of peace and plenty, it’s a minefield of temptation to debate the hot topics of the day with far-flung relatives we see but once a year, for reasons of which we are quickly reminded.
There’s that uncle with an oddly obsessive outlook on crime in the cities -- though he’s too afraid to drive there -- and the freshly “woke” cousin who thinks every white person living out in Greater Minnesota is a snowmobiling bigot.
Considering the national fuse shortage that made this election one of the most passionately divisive events of a generation, Thanksgiving of 2016 has the potential to become -- even for the most moderate of Minnesotan families -- a strenuous exercise in tongue-holding and battle-picking.
To fight or not to fight. For those of us who feel betrayed by our own echo chambers, do we start with our own families as we attempt to understand the other side, or is that just a certain recipe for indigestion? Click HERE to find out the answer to these questions.
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How Couples Should Resolve Conflict
By Richard Fowler (11/16/16. The Christian Post)
"All couples fight. However, the key to fighting is to fight fair."
This is a statement that is taught in marital therapy. However, is it a valid statement?
I don't think so. Couples will have disagreements. The dictionary definition of the word "fight" is: to be involved in a battle or combat or to be aggressive. Conflict resolution needs to be focused on solutions rather than on trying to win or gain one-upmanship over a spouse.
HERE are some thoughts that can turn potential wounds into victory.
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Youth are key actors for peace in BurundiBy Juan Haro (11/22/16. reliefweb. image from Pixabay)
Building peace requires time and strength. Now, more than ever, young women and men in Burundi need the support of UNICEF and partners to become agents of positive change for future generations.
MUBANGA, Burundi, 22 November 2016 – “My life has been so hard. I have been living in fear all the time. Since the beginning of the previous war in 1993, me and my family had to move from one house to another. We just want peace.”
This is the testimony of Papille Harineza, a 23-year-old who despite her young age, knows first-hand the scourge of violence and upheaval. When she was just a baby, Burundi went through an ethnically motivated armed conflict which left more than 300,000 dead. The conflict forced her, her family and thousands of people to seek shelter in displacement camps or to flee to neighbouring countries. Click HERE to learn about the role of youth and the Ubuntu philosophy.
Movie Review
Review: 'Moonlight' is a modest masterpiece, and quite possibly the best film of 2016, by Steve Persall (11/15/16. Tampa Bay Times) Click HERE to read the review.
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