Next Victim-Impact Panel to be held in November

We will be holding our next Victim-Impact Panel for youth this November, and we are looking for volunteers to help facilitate the process. 

Unlike a traditional victim-impact panel program, wherein offenders sit passively in a large group during a presentation by victims, in this program small groups of youth are encouraged to have a personal dialogue with victim-presenters. The presenters are prepared in advance to “tell their stories” in an impactful way, and youth are assisted in developing questions to ask of the presenters. As a result a meaningful and engaging dialogue takes place, facilitated by program volunteers. Where in other contexts youth may be defensive or self-focused, the structure of this program moves youth away from this mindset, allowing them to empathize with victims and see the far-reaching impact that even “simple” crimes can have.

If you are interested in serving as a victim-presenter, or receiving training to help facilitate a panel, please contact us today!

CDR on Facebook

OK, we know you are on Facebook. If you're like us, you probably spend too much time there. Well, why not check out the CDR on Facebook! Our page includes program updates, photos, and other fun stuff. We'd love to see your comments and have you join the conversation with other page followers. Click here to view the CDR Facebook page now.

Volunteer celebration!

On November 4th the CDR will be honoring and celebrating our many volunteers and supporters with a reception on the Missouri State University campus. The work of the CDR would not be possible without the generous support of community members who give their time, expertise, and knowledge to help others within our community.

In the words of William James "Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does." Our volunteers truly "make a difference" and we cannot thank them enough!

Networks for Girls Title-II grant renewed for second year

We are thrilled to announce that that our Title-II grant funding the Networks for Girls program has been renewed for a second year! This $51,000 grant provides funds so that the CDR can offer the Networks for Girls program, which provides family group conferencing and a Girls Circle group for young women in Greene County who are facing behavioral issues (including juvenile offending, status offenses, truancy, etc.) and struggling with communication and conflict issues in the home.

Youth in the program first take part in a family group conference, facilitated by program volunteers, where they can discuss their behavior with supportive family and community members and develop an “action plan” to address the harm caused and avoid future problems. Next girls take part in an 8-week educational support group called “Girls Circle,” which offers a fund, supportive learning environment where they can connect with other girls and use authentic voices to explore issues such as relationships, communication, body image, and more. Finally the girls come back together with their family for a final family group conference to celebrate their successes and “tweak” their actions plans, if necessary, so that they can continue to be successful into the future.

The first year of the Title-II grant saw the CDR establish this unique program, and in the second year we are excited to see the program grow! If you, or someone you know, would benefit from the services of this program please don’t hesitate to contact us or read more about the program on our website.

Civil and Family Mediation Training a Success!

We had a great mediation training this October 5-9, with 29 attendees participating. Attendees learned about the basics of how to mediate both civil and family cases and then practiced their skills in role play sessions, taking the part of the mediator as well as participants. Experienced mediators from our community served as coaches for the role play sessions, offering advice and feedback and providing real-life examples of how mediators work to help parties resolve disputes.

We are increasingly seeing participants in the training coming from a wide range of professions, and this training was no exception! Not only did we have attorneys in attendance, but also human resource professionals, counselors, psychologists, paralegals, court personnel, and students! Addtionally, we had participants not just from our local area, but from elsewhere in Missouri (including Columbia, St. Louis, Mt. Vernon, Carthage, Blairstown, Stockton, Kidder, Florissant, and Sikeston) and also Arkansas and Illinois. The growing interest in mediation is a great sign for the growth of the field, and we look forward to future trainings with such wonderful, diverse participants.

Did you attend the training this past October, or a previous training? Let us know how the training helped you! We welcome your comments on this post, or you can reach us at CDR@MissouriState.edu. Or, if you’d like to attend a future training be sure to join the CDR mailing list to be notified up upcoming training dates. Our next mediation training will be held March 14-18.