Our mission at the Conflict Resolution Center is to help you become better able to resolve conflicts. We have trainings, educational resources from other sites, and volunteer opportunities for you to master the art of conflict resolution and help others.
Volunteers willing to help mediate conflicts are vital to the success of the Conflict Resolution Center. With their help, neighbors and families find peaceful resolution. The volunteers gain something too, recognizing that phone conciliating and face to face mediating disputes is richly rewarding.
The volunteer primary responsibilities are to help Bellevue residents resolve conflicts. Tasks include: telephone conciliation (coaching, problem solving, arranging a mediation); database entry and other office tasks; conducting face-to-face mediation; facilitating group meetings and assisting with outreach, training and other program projects.
Our desired qualifications include excellent communication skills, commitment to respect exchanges between people, ability to assist people in solving their problems and ability to maintain confidentiality and impartiality. Basic computer skills and completion of extensive, specialized trainings with the Conflict Resolution Center are mandatory. We accept adults only.
Our expectation is that volunteers first apply for a 20 hour conciliation training, conducted annually. If selected, the volunteer would then take a three hour weekly daytime telephone conciliation shift for a minimum of 6 months. Once completed, the volunteer is eligible to take Basic Mediation Training and then enter our practicum to be certified as a mediator. That process can take a minimum of one additional year.
For more details about volunteering, you may contact us at 425-452-4091 or at BCRC@bellevuewa.gov.
Volunteer Trainings
- 24-hr Conciliation Training:
- This free training is a prerequisite to volunteering with our program. As a volunteer conciliator, you will assist callers in understanding their issues, exploring options and developing strategies for problem resolution. In this training, you will learn conflict theory, advanced communication skills, negotiation, coaching, database usage and procedural tools. These skills are useful even if you don’t volunteer.
- This training is typically offered once per year, usually in the fall. If you want to join a list to be informed as soon as our next training is scheduled, please email us at BCRC@bellevuewa.gov.
Volunteer In-service Schedule
- Coffee and Consultation:
- This monthly one-hour chat is an opportunity for volunteers to connect and consult with each other.
- Fri., April 2, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- Fri., May 7, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- Fri., June 4, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- Fri., July 2, 2021, [no meeting]
- Fri., August 6, 2021, [no meeting]
- Fri., September 3, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- Fri., October 1, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- Fri., November 5, 2021, 10-11 a.m.
- In-Service Trainings:
- Friday, June 25, 2021. 9am - 3pm: SB5160 Conciliation Training (hosted by Resolution Washington). This training will show how to adapt our conciliation model to the expectations and constraints of the directives in SB5160, incorporating official forms, maintaining call records, writing mediation agreements and agreements to mediate, and filling in the certification form. You will also get to practice ERP cases with folks from around the state, with varying levels of experience (link to recorded session upon request).
- Thursday, August 19th, 2021. 10am 12pm: Eviction Prevention Pilot Program. Our rent negotiation work is entering a new phase. For the past eight months, we have been providing a voluntary service to landlords and tenants who want to work with us to create a rent repayment plan. Please join us for this vital in-service so that we can introduce changes to our process and forms. Know that we are smoothing the path as we can, improving our intake so that you will be able to focus on using those same conciliation skills you have already mastered (link to recorded session upon request).
- Due to COVID-19, our training schedule is in flux. We will update this page as more information becomes available.
(updated on 08/12/2021)