As part of a national movement sparked by the Association for Conflict Resolution, and affirmed by an official proclamation from Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., October 20, 2005, has been named Maryland Conflict Resolution Day.

The Honorable Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, is a strong proponent of the importance of mediation and other alternative dispute resolution processes in Maryland’s courts, as well as in communities, schools and universities, criminal and juvenile justice programs, state and local government agencies, family services, and businesses throughout the state.

“We recognize that the courthouse should be the place of last resort for dispute resolution, and we encourage Marylanders to use mediation and other collaborative processes whenever appropriate,” Judge Bell said. “We see mediation, both within and outside the court system, as a central part of Maryland’s access to justice strategy, and because of the fine work of the Judiciary’s Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), Maryland has become a national leader in the conflict resolution community.”

To celebrate conflict resolution day, MACRO organized an art contest for elementary and middle school students. Chief Judge Bell will award prizes for the winning entries at 4:00 p.m. on October 20 at the Court of Appeals in Annapolis. At the event, MACRO also plans to unveil a series of “Mediation: It’s Your Solution Posters,” which will be made available at no cost to mediation proponents across the state.

Rachel A. Wohl, Esq., MACRO’s Executive Director, applauded Judge Bell for his leadership and support for creating new dispute resolution programs and services across the state.
“In mediation, people speak for themselves and make their own decisions, often developing creative solutions to complicated conflicts,” she said. “ Because of the Judiciary’s clear support for mediation and other appropriate dispute resolution processes, thousands of Marylanders every year take control of their conflicts and achieve satisfactory resolutions.”

“I believe we need to continue to emphasize education and keep reaching out to young people,” Judge Bell added, “beyond the courthouse.”

Maryland is home to many strong and thriving community mediation programs, many of which are hosting “open house” events in honor of Conflict Resolution Day. These centers provide mediation at the neighborhood level for free or on a sliding scale, addressing a wide variety of inter-personal disputes. For more information, about Maryland’s network of community mediation centers, visit Community Mediation Maryland online at www.marylandmediation.org

Additionally, on Conflict Resolution Day, MACRO will kick off the first of six regional public fora on mediator excellence. These fora promote a new Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence (MPME), the first of its kind in the nation, designed to provide mediators with an array of options to continue developing the quality of their mediation practice. The system is illustrated in the attached “tree.” Branches on the tree include mentoring, training, case and ethics discussions, consumer education, regional networks, observation, evaluation, certification and a grievance/ombuds program. A summary of the MPME along with Task Group reports are available on MACRO’s website, www.courts.state.md.us/macro.

“We hope people across Maryland will attend these events and join us in celebrating Maryland’s first Conflict Resolution Day,” Wohl said.

For or more information, or to receive a copy of the Governor’s Proclamation please call MACRO at 410-841-2260.