This is a Video of the Peer Mediation Invitational held at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (the extraordinary Justice Dorothy Nelson -- who appears in the video -- Justice presiding) and the Western Justice Center next door in Pasadena, California.

I've participated as "coach" at this invitational and it is quite extraordinary to see these young people do what adults (including lawyers and business people) were never taught to do -- follow the mediation "procedure" to resolve conflict.  Create hope and safety; communicate; listen; reflect the disputants' conflict back to them in their own terms; distinguish the parties interests -- what they want or fear -- from their positions -- why they're right -- develop options for mutual gain; evaluate potential solutions; strive for closure, resolve.  

It's an amazing experience.  If you're looking for a new community activity in which to devote your passion for peace, you couldn't do much better than becoming involved in (or helping support) the Western Justice Center.

After all -- think of what this generation will have to communicate about and resolve -- global warming; diminishing fuel resources; and, major shifts in geo-political power structures.  Let's give them the tools they need to find a way out of the mess their parents' and grandparents' technology created. 

Mediation is one of the few human technologies that has any possible chance of meeting these challenges successfully.