Erik Cleven & Judith A. Saul will introduce an introduction approach to conflict transformation called transformative dialogue. The transformative dialogue starts from the human experience and ways of understanding their conflicts. Transformative dialogue addresses many of the weaknesses in current peacebuilding models.

Erik Cleven is an associate professor of international relations at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. He is vice-president of the board of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation. His recent research is on community dialogue processes. Before studying international relations, he lived in Norway for many years and worked for several NGOs including the Norwegian Peace Center, the Center for Conflict Management and Peacebuilding and the Nansen Dialogue Network. During this time, he facilitated interethnic dialogue between Russians and Chechens and with numerous groups in the former Yugoslavia. He has run training in transformative dialogue in Kenya, Jordan, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United States. His most recent article, co-authored with Judith A. Saul entitled Realizing the Promise of Dialogue: Transformative Dialogue in Divided Communities was published in the spring 2021 issue of Conflict Resolution Quarterly.

Judith Saul has over three decades of experience in mediation, facilitation and training. She is a Fellow and Board member of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation, and through the Institute, a Certified Transformative Mediator. Ms. Saul founded and ran a community mediation center in Ithaca, NY for over 25 years. She has extensive experience mediating interpersonal disputes, training and coaching mediators and planning and facilitating organizational and community dialogues. With Institute colleagues, she developed Transformative Dialogue, applying the relational framework to dialogue processes useful in organizations, planning and decision-making and communities that have experienced ethnic and political conflict. She has provided Transformative Dialogue training nationally and internationally in Norway, Kenya, Jordan and the Netherlands. She has published articles about the transformative framework as it applies to mediator assessment, about facilitating multi-party interactions and about transformative dialogue.

At the conclusion of the program a Certificate for 2-hours of ADR related Continuing Education will be provided free to members.

In order for non-members to purchase a certificate: A $10.00 charge using cash or check made payable to MCDR will be applied to purchase your certificate. Your certificate will be available at the end of the meeting on the sign-in desk. The day following the meeting, certificates will be available for purchase on line at the MCDR Store, MCDR.org. Please join MCDR during the meeting to avoid the charge.

MCDR quarterly meetings are open to everyone in the ADR community without charge; membership is not required. We welcome newcomers to join us for an interesting evening of ADR related information and networking.

For planning purpose please RSVP to:

LaVerne Day, Programs Committee Co-Chairperson, at:

laverneday@crwp-eaglesystems.com

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MCDR is the oldest membership-based organization in Maryland dedicated to promoting the use of mediation and supporting

the mediation profession. We have a proud history of successfully advocating for allowing multiple professions to practice mediation,

halting attempts to restrict the practice some fifteen years ago. MCDR is the first organization to establish performance based criteria

now in use as a national model, part of an ongoing dialogue on quality assurance and mediator credentials.

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