Agenda - Council - 04/28/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

D. At lea~t~ one of the parties resides or does business in Anoka County. MEDIATION sERVICES provided mediation, conciliation and referral services to more than 1,007 people.~ 1.9,91. In addition, MEDIATION SERVICES reached over 3,700 through public education, m~ling~s and training opportunities. Included in fl ,' ~ds of case handled an 1991 are neighborhood and community disputes, conflicts within famil~ ~, 1~9, blems between landlord and tenant and disputes between business and consumer. ' ~1 ~9 libras a year of opportunities and growth as services expanded to include the mediation o~ iost-~ivorce visitation issues. There was a'~5% ~ncrease in the total number of cases received in 1991 over the total number received in 19 ~0, ~Fwo-thirds came the second half of the year. This was a challenge to the staff and left the.l~v)gram, understaffed and stretched to the limits of its capabilities. 2. OutreaChi · MEDIATIoNiSERvICES conducted various activities in an effort to extend the services and information ~ItJpu~ ~nflict resolution to all parts of the county and all residents. Outreach activities fall into the fo~ow~ng categories: 1) contact and use of referral sources to communicate information a~ut~nediation services, 2) direct communication with the Public through personal contacts and'p~ser~tations, and 3) indirect communication through the printed media. Examples of 991 ioutreach activities are highlighted in the following paragraphs. .t In June, theex ~cut~ve director atttended the League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference. This opportunity l~r, ~vidtd visibility with city staff and public officials from communities in Anoka County. Re ,1~. serl~fives from Mediation Center and the Office of Dispute Resolution facilitated a workshop th~ 1 ~st al, ay with information and a role play demonstration. The purpose was to illustrate local ~,o~t .eg'nment's use of mediation. The booth was one of several attempts by the Minnesota AS~ ~ia~ion of Community Mediation Programs to increase the awareness of mediation with various g ~up$. Appearances were also made at the Small Business Association Exhibition, Senior Optiola~ EXi~o and the Multi-housing Fair. The executive lixeC~r worked in conjunction with a representative of the Coon Rapids Welcome Wagon to develop ~ plan of delivering MEDIATION SERVICES' brochure and magnet when visits are mafie~witli neW residents in the area. The project was given a six month time frame to evaluate resul~ andidecide if the program would be expanded to include other Welcome Wagon representativesiin 9~her parts of Anoka County. This arrangement has led to the intake of family problems, neW~o~owner and builder disputes and neighborhood conflicts. The arrangement appears to have val~. Our materials are reaching the public in a personal visit. Plans are to expand delive~ ar~angements with other Welcome Wagon representatives. The Blaine ~, ~ridley Focus and ABC Newspapers ran a feature story in late fall about the new post~diVor4:e ViSitation service. Residents of many of the communities around the county read about conflict i'esolufion techniques and mediation applications by way of their city newsletters during the year. One of the last projects of the year was a half hour production for cable TV. Tl~e~ ~pe Ibegan with an interview by the Anoka City Manager. The executive director then introduc~tha ~;tages of mediation which were simulated by volunteer mediators in role plays. The tape Will ~ use~l in trainings and has the potential for use on other cable networks in Anoka