2001 Annual Conference

Please join us for the official launch of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), the merged organization of AFM, CREnet and SPIDR!

An international event you won't want to miss, our first conference is sure to be one of the most exciting and innovative ever offered in the conflict resolution field. The four-day educational and networking experience will take place with the cooperation of the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) and the assistance of Family Mediation Canada and The Network.

The conference will be held October 10-13, 2001 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto's progressiveness and multiculturalism should provide a dynamic environment for sharing perspectives, challenges, successes and cultures, as well as phenomenal sightseeing, dining, shopping, and theater. A city filled with diverse cultures, cuisines, people, and styles, Toronto is an ideal setting for our 2001 conference.

Our 2001 Conference Program Committee has been hard at work, creating what will certainly be a memorable and thought-provoking experience for all attendees. In keeping with the conference theme, speakers and attendees will spend each day addressing the ways in which people in the conflict resolution field can process conflict, build connections, and come together to create community. A meta-theme of Social Justice, Diversity, and Identity will thread its way through all conference sessions and events.

The conference structure will incorporate important elements to ensure that all dispute resolvers feel welcome, including customary events from the three previous organizational conferences, as well as new collaborative concepts. The 2001 conference starts on Thursday morning, October 11 with an opening keynote presentation "What Are You Listening For: Conflict or Peace?" by Renee Poussaint. The conference will continue over the next three days with over 175 workshop sessions, geared to those new and seasoned in our growing field of conflict resolution. A special Mini-Concert/Plenary Session Friday evening October 12 will feature Peter Yarrow of the music group Peter, Paul & Mary. Workshop and plenary sessions will vary in design, from the traditional to the non-traditional, allowing for multidimensional and highly interactive experiences. Activities will include both new creations and those formerly limited to only one of the organizational conferences — including caucuses, forums and section meetings — thereby offering all attendees a chance to experience the rich culture each of the merger partners brings to ACR.

Members of ACR's many sections will have a chance to meet in smaller groups to discuss and plan next year's activities and future steps. Arbitration, Commercial, Community, Court, Criminal Justice, Education, Environmental and Public Policy, Family, Health Care, International, Ombuds, Online Disputes, Organizational Conflict Management, Spirituality, Training, Workplace and Youth participants will find offerings that address their particular needs and interests. Be sure to look for the symbol beside the sessions noting those geared towards a specific area. There is also a special track of bilingual sessions, which will be presented in both English and Spanish, as well as English and French.

We are also happy to announce that, as part of the Youth M-POWER! initiative, young people will be an integral part of the conference experience. A number of sessions will be both geared toward and led by youth, and ongoing mentoring programs will be available. The entire conference will be accompanied by interactive learning and social events, providing numerous opportunities for adults and young people to learn from one another.

An exhibit hall will feature information on the latest conflict resolution programs, services, and products. From innovations in conflict resolution technology to educational materials, the exhibit hall is sure to offer a chance to view some of the most cutting-edge developments in the field. The hall will also feature research presentations, the ACR and conference information booth, and a silent auction.

During an exciting Friday evening Plenary and reception, conference attendees will have the opportunity to take advantage of the talents of Peter Yarrow who will perform a Mini Concert and Plenary Session. This is an event you won't want to miss. Come and meet old friends and new while celebrating the creation of the Association for Conflict Resolution!

The 2001 Conference Program Committee, the Local Arrangements Committee, and the ACR Board of Directors and Staff are excited about the many sessions and activities planned for our three days together in Toronto. Attending this conference provides an historic opportunity to participate in the deepening and widening of our rapidly growing field. We encourage you to join us for what is sure to be an exciting conference for ACR and all other conference attendees involved in the conflict resolution field. Together, we will listen to experienced practitioners, challenge our assumptions, add to our knowledge base, and have a great time with friends and colleagues. So, please mark your calendar, and do all you can to encourage colleagues to register and join us (see our Web site at www.acresolution.org).

Conference registration fees: If you register before August 17, 2001 the early bird fee is $325US for ACR members and $405US for prospective members. If you register between August 17 and September 17, the 2nd chance registration fee is $380US for members and $460US for prospective members. If you register after September 17, the full registration fee is $425US for members and $505US for prospective members. Please note as a sign of good will toward the dispute resolution community in Canada, the ACR Board of Directors has agreed to extend the ACR member rates for registration to all Canadians. This one-time offer of member rates to all Canadians is in honor of ACR's desire to show Canadian dispute resolvers what ACR is about, to build strong cross border relationships, and to celebrate our merger. All Canadians should pay the applicable rate in US dollars. Full conference registration fees include: one continental breakfast (Friday), continental breakfast Saturday (for ACR members only at the membership meeting), two box lunches (Thursday and Friday), the Presidential Lunch (Saturday), the Welcome Reception (Thursday), the Plenary Session and Reception (Friday), coffee breaks, and all conference materials. The Sheraton Centre Toronto is holding a block of rooms for ACR's first annual conference. Remember to register at the hotel early to ensure the $203CAN (approximately $138US) rate per night.

More about the Keynote Presenter:

Veteran network journalist and three-time Emmy winner Renee Poussaint will be the keynote speaker at the opening plenary of the first Association for Conflict Resolution conference in Toronto this October. Ms. Poussaint is the president and CEO of Wisdom Works, Inc., a not-for-profit documentary production company focusing on individuals who have discovered innovative approaches to social issues. These include former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young, women's rights advocate Gloria Steinem, broadcast journalism legend Walter Cronkite, and civil rights pioneer, Dorothy Height.

Ms. Poussaint will speak to conference attendees about her transition from reporting about conflict to documenting her efforts to promote peaceful resolutions around the globe. Her most recent production, Tutu and Franklin: A Journey Towards Peace, is a two-hour film that relates the historic first encounter between Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and renowned historian and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dr. John Hope Franklin of the United States. The two meet on Goree Island, the infamous former slave port off the coast of Senegal in West Africa, where they discover surprising truths about their personal histories and their nations' struggles for racial peace.

Tutu and Franklin are joined in these conversations by a multicultural group of 21 high school students from the United States, South Africa, and Senegal. Together they engage in a series of candid encounters on race and begin a journey towards racial reconciliation. Filming was also done in South Africa and parts of the U.S. in order to capture the personal stories of different students. The program was aired nationally in the United States in February 2001, throughout South Africa on SABC-TV, with special screenings at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the United Nations in New York.

The project resulted not only in a major television documentary, but also in an extensive education/community outreach program, including the establishment of the Tutu-Franklin Fellows Program, an international student race leadership training project. In the United States, some 150 community groups in 40 states and 130 cities have held screenings and used the film's various viewer, teacher and community guides to conduct racial dialogues centered on the film.

Another exciting development is the creation of a new public high school course titled "Race and Ethnicity in Washington, DC." The course is the outgrowth of the Peace Journeys Diversity Conference that was held in January 2001 as part of Wisdom Works' new partnership with DC Public Schools. Wisdom Works has also established a partnership with the Network of Alliances Bridging Race and Ethnicity (NABRE), a nationwide initiative, whose planning partners include such organizations as the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Anti-Defamation League, the National Urban League, the YWCA, and the National League of Cities.

Ms. Poussaint has had an extensive broadcast career as a network correspondent for both ABC and CBS News, reporting from some of the world's most troubled areas. In addition to her numerous journalism and community service awards, she is the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University. She holds a master's degree in African Studies from UCLA, and has completed non-degree graduate work at Yale Law School, Columbia University Journalism School, and the Sorbonne in Paris. She is a Senior Fellow at the University of Maryland's Academy of Leadership.