About

Resolution Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers are independently operated and many have existed for over 30 years, being well embedded in their communities, serving 14 counties and providing a wide range of services.

Since 2013, Centers have received state operational grant funding through the MA Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC), which is the statutory State Dispute Resolution Agency and applied research Center at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. In addition to administering the statutory Community Mediation Center Grant Program, MOPC also supports the Centers through program development, quality initiatives, as well as data gathering and providing evaluation.

Resolution Massachusetts weaves these threads together, supporting a core mission, vision and values.

Resolution Massachusetts encourages respectful engagement for diverse perspectives to be heard and offer a non-judgmental place where people can have constructive conversations.  The ideas of access, diversity, quality and service are what defines us as community peace-makers.

Our Core Values

COMMUNITY FIRST

We are committed to working with and between people, communities and organizations across our state to provide the conflict resolution services they need.

ACCESS TO ALL

We believe that community mediation should be available to all regardless of cost, location or stage of the dispute.

QUALITY MATTERS

We hold our mediators to high standards, providing intensive, skills-based training, apprenticeships, continuing education and ongoing evaluation of volunteers.

DEDICATED TO DIVERSITY

We value people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, genders, religions, abilities and races and all are welcome.

Resolution Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers' Update on Racism and Injustice: 

We promised to ​give an update on the steps MOPC and the Community Mediation Centers are taking towards organizational and institutional change to actively address our complicity in structural racism. As part of a multi-year strategy tied to performance planning for accountability purposes, we are reviewing our policies and programs through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens with support from a knowledgeable staff member, providing training and support for individual and organizational growth and working together to engage with marginalized communities to better understand their needs and overcome barriers in accessing services.

We will continue to provide updates as we continue our journey.

Why “Common Ground”?

From the smallest irritation to trans-national conflict, we all face some form of conflict in our daily lives. Although we already have that in common, more and more people focus on what divides rather than connects. The concept of a place of common ground reflects how all the Centers in Resolution Massachusetts have shared goals among our many areas of work and how together we provide places of safety for people like you to deal with conflict.

What are we “Building”?

You can get support to understand your own conflict and a place where you can build solutions to improve your situations by understanding different perspectives. Reaching resolution is not about weakness, reluctant compromise or finding a middle ground where no-one is happy. By being fully engaged in the process, you can find they have built new skills and better relationships, and better, lasting outcomes.