We’ve all been there every now and then. There could be trouble at home or work because of a difference of opinions between people. Maybe you’re just not getting along with your neighbour. Somewhere, sometime, we all have moments of miscommunication or misbehaviour.
With conflict being a part of everyone’s lives, there are lots of reasons why it’s a good idea to get the help of some experts who know what it takes to smooth out the rough spots of your journey.
That’s where the Mediation and Restorative Justice Centre steps in. The Edmonton-based agency has the tools to help get anyone through sticky situations. Starting this month, it’s bringing those tools to a St. Albert audience through a series of workshops to be held at St. Albert Parents’ Place.
Like any good teacher, the agency’s manager of education and training says that it’s a matter of starting with a strong knowledge base before you adapt your behaviour and communication.
“The education area is crucial to any effort that you make to help a community. The workshops that we offer really transcend. They will assist you in communicating more effectively at work, at home and in the community. It’s for parents, co-workers … anyone,” Silvia BĂ©gin said.
The course uses a program that focuses on the Kraybill conflict style inventory, a psychological system that helps people understand conflict and find a way out or around it. Participants receive a manual to keep for their personal use.
Parents’ Place might not be the first place you think of when the issue of conflict resolution comes up. That’s an image that executive director Sandy Biener hopes to change. Her organization, she says, isn’t just for parents and their children. We all have families and in a larger sense, we’re all part of one big family.
“In general we look at partnerships with programs and services that can assist families in enhancing what they do as parents, as couples …” she said. “We will bring in anything and work with groups that will educate families in a way to enhance family life.”
“Communication and conflict resolution is a big part of family life. People do get caught up in concerns and issues and don’t always know how to find a positive resolution. This kind of a program really helps that.”
“We felt that Parents’ Place was a very good organization with a lot of similar values and principles for serving the community,” BĂ©gin added.
The program will feature conflict resolution concepts, help participants to better understand how people act and react in conflict situations, and provide communication techniques to not only resolve disputes but also help prevent new ones in the future.
“It’s all about building positive relationships and positive families, so what does it take to do that?” Biener stated.
The Managing Interpersonal Conflict workshops run for three hours each on three consecutive Saturday mornings, starting on Oct. 15. The cost is $10 each or $25 for the whole series. The time and the price make it a relatively pain-free opportunity to learn new ways about making the rest of your life easier.
If you can’t make it to the October series, BĂ©gin said that it would run again in November with the possibility of being a continuing program.
