March 2026 Newsletter

Friday, March 20, 2026 - 2:45pm

Celebrating Women's History Month:

Women and Peace Processes

In honor of Women's History Month, we recognize the following leaders who have contributed significant achievements in mediation and peacemaking:

Wangari Maathai (pictured): The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. As the founder of the Green Belt Movement, she utilized dialogue processes to empower women, linking ecological conservation with sustainable peace in Kenya.
Roberta Jamieson: Canada’s first Indigenous woman to earn a law degree, the first female Ombudsman in Ontario, Canada, and the first woman to be Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.
Ela Bhatt: Indian peace activist and founder of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA).
Edita Tahiri: Former Chief Negotiator for Kosovo in EU-facilitated dialogue with Serbia

REGISTER

Community Building

Restorative Circles Training

REGISTER

In Memory of

Robert A. Baruch Bush

We are sad to announce that ADR leader and scholar Robert A. Baruch Bush passed away on February 27, 2026. A professor at the School of Law at Hofstra University, Professor Bush shaped the field of mediation with his seminal 1994 book, The Promise of Mediation, co-authored by Joseph P. Folger, about the transformative model of mediation. His approach framed the purpose of mediation around empowerment, recognition, and human dignity, focusing on improving conflict interactions as the ultimate benefit of mediation, rather than settlement alone.

Professor Bush leaves a legacy of inspiration that will continue in our work and that of generations of peacemakers to come.

Dr. Bernadette Tracy and Nikki Rowe Publish Article About Solution Focused Mediation

Congratulations to CDS volunteer Dr. Bernadette Tracy and her colleague Niki Lee Rowe on publishing a new article on Mediate.com describing an approach known as Solution Focused Mediation (SFM).

As described in the article, "a Solution-Focused approach enables clients to co-construct an integrated common Desired Outcome in the initial phase of the mediation session, which permeates the process. Hence, it is the achievement of their Desired Outcome that becomes the focus and self-measurement of mediation success and client mutual satisfaction, not problem-solving."

Tracy and Rowe provided a training on Solution Focused Mediation to CDS staff and volunteers, funded by the Advanced Regional Training grant from the N

To access the full article, click here:

https://mediate.com/solution-focused-mediation-2/