Mediation Toolbox :: Have you ever wondered what are the qualifications for being a mediator in all 50 states? Tennessee Court websites: ::Administrative Office of the Courts ::Appellate Courts (Supreme, Appeals, Criminal Appeals) ::Judicial District Courts (Circuit, Probate, Chancery, and Criminal found in drop-down menu)          ::Davidson County Circuit Court Clerk ::Hamilton County Judicial System ::Shelby County Courts and Criminal Justice   ::Juvenile Courts ::General Sessions Courts  ::Court Structure Chart   :: Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth The American Youth Policy Forum has just published a lengthy study (181 page pdf file) that describes dropout recovery in twelve communities in the country. The document includes some interesting statistics: An estimated 3.8 million youth age 18-24 are neither employed or in school – 15% of all young adults. Of those who fail to graduate with their peers, one-quarter eventually earn a diploma, one-quarter earn the GED, and about one-half do not earn a high school credential. Three-quarters of state prison inmates are dropouts, as are 59% of federal inmates. Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely than high school graduates to be incarcerated in their lifetime. Of all African American male dropouts in their early 30s, 52% have been imprisoned. 90% of the 11,000 youth in adult detention facilities have no more than a 9th grade education. The US would save $41.8 billion in health care costs if the 600,000 young people who dropped out in 2004 were to complete one additional year of education. Increasing the high school completion rate by 1% for all men ages 20-60 would save the United States $1.4 billion annually in reduced costs associated with crime. Dropouts cost our nation more than $260 billion dollars in lost wages, lost taxes, and lost productivity over their lifetimes. :: http://www.wheniwastwelve.com/  is a website for those of us who have been a  twelve year old girl to remember what it was really like, share, and read other's memories... April 3-7, 2006 is National Youth Violence Prevention Week   National Youth Violence Prevention Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness and to educate students, teachers, school administrators, counselors, school resource officers, school staff, parents, and the public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence. Each day of the week (April 3-7) focuses on a specific violence prevention strategy: promoting respect and tolerance, anger management, resolving conflicts peacefully, supporting safety, and uniting in action. The National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (S A V E) and GuidanceChannel.com, a brand of Sunburst Visual Media are the founding partners of the National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign. :: Peer Mediation Resources online! :: The benefits of napping include enhanced ability to problem solve! Sleep is undoubtedly foremost on the minds of sleep-deprived Americans who turned their clocks one hour ahead yesterday to mark the beginning of daylight savings time.  Knowing this, Bill and Camille Anthony, founders of the Napping Company, have designated today as National Napping Day to promote the numerous benefits napping confers, including enhanced creativity and problem solving abilities. If this is the case, then mediators should not only urge their clients to "sleep on it" as they contemplate decisions but also allot time for parties to power nap when scheduling all-day marathon mediation sessions.   :: Negotiation Explained Here is a resource for negotiation online by Professor Wertheim of Northeastern University  which provides a comprehensive overview of many valuable concepts including the following: “The Five Modes of Responding to Conflict [including]…the two most problematic types: Collaborative (integrative) and Competitive (Distributive)… * Rational vs. the Emotional Components of Negotiation All negotiations involve two levels: a rational decision making (substantive) process and a psychological (emotional) process. The outcome of a negotiation is as likely to be a result of both. Most of us understand the need to grasp the substantive or rational aspects of negotiation. For many of us it is the psychological aspects that are more difficult…. * Integrative or Win-Win Bargaining: Keys to Integrative Bargaining - Orient yourself towards a win-win approach: your attitude going into negotiation plays a huge role in the outcome - Plan and have a concrete strategy...be clear on what is important to you and why it is important - Know your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Alternative) - Separate people from the problem - Focus on interests, not positions; consider the other party's situation: - Create Options for Mutual Gain: - Generate a variety of possibilities before deciding what to do - Aim for an outcome based on some objective standard - Pay a lot of attention to the flow of negotiation; - Take the Intangibles into account; communicate carefully - Use Active Listening Skills; rephrase, ask questions and then ask some more…”   :: Here is a very good guide to the many books and courses on negotiation skills.   :: Katrina Puts a New Spin on Custody Disputes Judges and lawyers in New Orleans say they have seen scores of family disputes related to the storm. Families are experiencing painful new battles over child custody and visitation, financial support and division of assets. State guidelines do not address emergency upheavals like those caused by hurricane Katrina. Judges are left to determine when a required evacuation becomes a voluntary relocation and who can stay where and for how long.   :: Violence Against Women with Mental Illness This issue brief from the Consensus Project examines what is known about the vulnerability to violent crime of women with mental illness; what programs have attempted to service this population of women; what resources are available to the field and other issues. 16 page downloadable pdf file.