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Community Services
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa (CCRO)
Dealing with a conflict and need some guidance?
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa (CCRO) offers various conflict resolution services like mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation, and workshops.
Get in touch with us today to see how we can assist you:
Call us at 343-633-0200
or toll-free at 1-833-670-2100
email us at ccro@cicr-icrc.ca
or fill out the Request Form below
Who We Help:
If you're stuck in a conflict and need help finding a solution, or want to be better prepared to handle conflicts in your life, we're here for you. We assist individuals, groups, not-for-profit organizations, and charities.
Volunteer Services:
Our services are free for members of our community who may not have the means to pay for conflict resolution assistance. Our volunteer mediators, coaches and facilitators are ready to assist you.
We can help with various types of conflicts, including:
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Disagreements between neighbours, family members, friends, and roommates.
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Workplace issues in non-profit organizations and among volunteers.
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Community problems that need resolution.
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Training on handling conflicts targeted to community and non-profit organizations.
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Minor disputes with local stores or businesses,
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Family matters that aren't legal in nature, like making decisions about housing for aging parents or separated couples deciding on their child's school.
Please note that we don't handle family issues such as divorce, separation, custody, or estates.
We also can't assist with commercial disputes involving large sums of money. However, there are fee-for-service mediators in the community who are able to offer these types of services.
Seeking outside support to help with a difficult situation is never an easy step.
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa recognizes this and offers the community a safe, confidential, voluntary and no-cost process to help people work through disputes.
Get in touch with us today to see how we can assist you:
Call us at 343-633-0200
or toll-free at 1-833-670-2100
email us at ccro@cicr-icrc.ca
or fill out the Request Form below
Find out more about us and our services:
Upcoming Events
Stay informed and register for upcoming Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa training, communities of practice and volunteer networking events:
Request Form
Community Conflict Resolution Intervention
Need someone to help you navigate a conflict?
CCRO can provide volunteer conflict coaching and mediation services, in person or virtual, for those within the National Capital Region (Ottawa-Gatineau).
Call us at 343-633-0200
or toll-free at 1-833-670-2100
email us at ccro@cicr-icrc.ca
or leave us your info here:
About Us
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa (CCRO), formerly CMO (Community Mediation Ottawa), offers conflict resolution services (mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation and conflict resolution workshops) in Ottawa to individuals, groups, non-profit organizations and charities who find themselves at an impasse and would like help to resolve their conflict or would like to be better equipped to handle conflict when it arises in their life.
Vision
We create an enabled, transformed community skilled in dealing with conflict so that the needs of the people in conflict are met. CCRO is recognized as the place to go in Ottawa for leadership in dealing with conflict in a community.
Mission
We offer quality services that help people resolve conflicts in a way that meets the needs of our community. We build capacity through transferring knowledge of conflict resolution skills.
Values
We follow the standards set by the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition (OCMC)
We have a client focus, responding to client needs
We develop and maintain high skill levels to provide high-quality services
Our services will reflect the diversity of the Ottawa population and be inclusive of all.
Governance
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa operates as a program of the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution. CICR has been involved in the field of conflict resolution nationally and internationally for 35 years. CICR welcomes donations and partnership agreements. We are 100% staffed by volunteers who generously donate their time to foster the resolution of conflict in our community.
Coordinator’s Collective
Community Mediation Ottawa’s Coordinators’ Collective is responsible for guiding the growth and sustainability of the service, developing policies, building a volunteer base, generating internal and external communications, building partnerships in the community and acting as the “face” for the service in the community.
Coordinators serve for one-year, renewable terms. Coordinators are volunteers who are actively involved in the work of the organization, including policy development, administration, volunteer recruitment training and development, as well as developing and facilitating training programs and workshops.
Mediation Services
What is Community Mediation?
Community Mediation is a form of conflict resolution in which the mediators act as neutral third parties to help the individuals in conflict find a more productive path forward. Volunteer mediators facilitate a conversation between two or more people who are having a disagreement in order to help them identify a satisfactory solution. It can help participants strengthen their ability to manage future conflicts. As participants in the mediation process develop their own solutions, they can be more satisfying and longer lasting than solutions decided or imposed by an outsider. Volunteer Mediators are drawn from the community and abide by standards set out by the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition.
We can help resolve:
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Disagreements between neighbours, family members, friends and roommates.
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Certain family issues, such as decisions around housing for ageing parents or couples that have already separated and need to make non-legal decisions, such as the choice of school their child is to attend.
Please note: CCRO does not handle family issues such as divorce, separation, custody or estates. CCRO also does not handle commercial disputes, if significant sums of money are involved. There are fee-for-service mediators in the community who are able to offer these types of services.
Our services are available to:
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Individuals (self-referral)
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Municipal services
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Cooperative, public and other housing groups
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Community organizations.
What happens when I contact CCRO?
After you call or email and leave a message for us, a member of our intake team will contact you. During the initial conversation, we will cover a few topics:
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What is the conflict about? We will first seek to understand the situation at hand and your perspective on things. This will help us to determine whether mediation is an appropriate approach.
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Whether or how we can help. We will explain how mediation works, i.e., that mediators don’t take anyone’s side but support those in conflict through guiding a conversation that will, hopefully, lead to a resolution that will meet both your needs and those of the person with whom you are in conflict. We will remind you that the service is voluntary, confidential and free for those who do not have the ability to pay.
What happens next?
If you decide to proceed, we will then discuss how to best approach the other person or people who should be at the table during mediation.
Agency referrals and confidenciality
If you were referred to CCRO by a community partner or represent an organization that has referred clients to us, note that confidentiality provisions strictly limit what information CCRO will share. In all circumstances, we will only communicate to the referring agency whether a given situation did, or did not, go to mediation and whether or not the mediation occurred.
Costs
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa provides free services to those who do not have the ability to pay. As part of the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution, a registered charity, we welcome donations. Donations can be made online at Canada Helps.
What happens during mediation?
We generally follow these steps:
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Once all necessary people have agreed to undertake the mediation process, CCRO assigns two mediators to help you. Our mediators are experienced, trained volunteers.
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The mediators will not be acting as advocates for any individual or as judges. It will ultimately be up to the people in conflict to determine whether and how they wish to resolve the dispute.
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The mediators will meet with each person individually (pre-mediation) in order to get a clear understanding of the conflict, the interests and concerns. They will also help prepare you for the mediation itself. Mediators may suggest coaching prior to or as an alternative to a mediation process.
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Once the mediators have determined that everyone is ready for mediation, they will schedule a session at a convenient time and location for everyone. The sessions typically last about three hours.
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During the mediation, everyone will have a chance to tell their story and to be listened to by other participants. Open conversation is actively encouraged. The mediators will guide participants to consider their own and the other participants’ needs, interests, feelings and values.
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The participants will then be guided to brainstorm possible solutions and to agree on the best options.
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An agreement is only reached if all participants feel their needs have been satisfied. Participants may decide to prepare a short, written agreement.
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Following the mediation, we will follow up with each of the participants. We may also ask participants to fill out an anonymous evaluation form so we can get feedback from the process.
Conflict coaching is a voluntary, confidential and specialized process aimed at enhancing and managing the way people deal with negative conflict so that they can interact in a more constructive way and reduce the harmful impact on themselves and others.
Coaching is usually done on a one-on-one basis but can be done with a group as well. The conflict coach will use powerful coaching questions to help foster self-awareness, increase understanding of conflict behaviour patterns and improve overall communication skills.
Conflict Coaching can be done in conjunction with mediation as part of a pre-mediation service in order to prepare community clients for mediation. In addition, some clients may not wish to go through mediation for personal reasons, or there may be a reluctance on the other party’s side to participate. Conflict coaching can be offered instead of mediation in such cases.
An intake process is used by CCRO to take down information about the conflict situation. Conflict coaches are then assigned accordingly to coach the client.
Conflict Coaching Services
Community Mediation Training
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa offers a 21-hour training (3-day course, usually on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday) at least once each year.
The course emphasizes the co-mediation model endorsed by the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition and the steps involved in mediating conflict. It relies heavily on role-playing with coaching provided by our mediators.
There is a reasonable fee for the training. Participation in the program is available by invitation only. If you are interested in benefiting from this training, please contact us.
We hope to offer the training more frequently, as resources permit.
Custom Training
We also offer workshops and can tailor many of them to an organization’s needs. In addition, if you would like to request a member of our team to make a presentation to your organization, please contact our Program Director at ccro@cicr-icrc.ca to discuss details.
Details of future events will be posted here.
Community of Practice (CoP)
Interested in:
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Practising mediation skills through role-play
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Participating in skill-building activities
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Exploring topics within the field of conflict resolution
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Connecting with other practitioners?
Graduates of our 21-hour community mediation training are encouraged to attend our monthly community of practice events. If you would like to join these workshops, please email us and include details of your mediation-related training and experience.
Volunteering
Interested in volunteering with us?
We appreciate your interest in supporting CCRO.
As an entirely volunteer-based organization, we work together to help the Ottawa community. We maintain a roster of volunteer community mediators and welcome volunteers in several other areas. We are also open to providing internship and placement opportunities with educational institutions.
Details on various volunteer roles are below.
Community Mediator
Community Mediators work with clients in the community. Our mediators have community mediation training and have been through a mentoring process. We assign two mediators to every mediation process.
Community Mediator – Selection Process
We select experienced volunteer mediators who reflect our community. To serve Ottawa’s diverse population, we seek volunteers from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, with the ability to speak a variety of languages (especially English and French) of different ages, sexual orientations, and professional backgrounds. We select mediators who are interested in contributing to the Ottawa community by volunteering their time in a variety of ways. Mediators are selected through a rigorous process to ensure that their skill levels are appropriate.
CCRO requires all mediators on its roster to attend a 21-hour training program focusing on the community mediation model endorsed by the Ontario Community Mediation Coalition. If you have completed equivalent training elsewhere, please contact us to discuss the details.
Following the completion of the training program, new mediators will be helped to develop their skills further when they attend our monthly role-play/training events (Community of Practice), where our experienced mediators provide coaching and mentoring. CCRO strives to help the community mediation community and its clients build the capacity to work through conflicts.
Conflict Coach
We select coaches to be part of our volunteer conflict coaching community based on their training background as well as practical experience with coaching third parties. We offer training on a regular basis through CICR to equip people with the knowledge and practical tools we use in our community setting. Learning and role-play nights occur once a month within Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa to assist our coaches in building the necessary skills to coach community clients with confidence.
Volunteering other skills and expertise
We are always interested in hearing from potential volunteers with expertise in any of the following areas:
- Mediation
- Coaching
- Group facilitation
- Marketing
- Fundraising
- Public relations
- Social media
- IT & website admin
- Event planning
- Accounting/Finance
- Other
If you are interested in joining us, please contact us via email, including your most recent resume.
Internships
Occasionally, Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa will consider an unpaid internship for students in post-secondary education programs. Please contact us for details at ccro@cicr-icrc.ca or 347-633-0200
Donations
Support Our Work in the Community
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa is a charitable program of the Canadian Institute for Conflict Resolution and benefits from access to its services. We are 100% staffed by volunteers. However, for individuals who may not be in a position to volunteer their time but who wish to support our work, please consider joining CICR or making a donation:
Community Conflict Resolution Ottawa
+1 343-633-0200
Toll-free 1-833-670-2100
ccro@cicr-icrc.ca
Contact Form
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