2002 Annual Conference

Coastal Collaboration: Emerging Practices in a New Era of Conflict Resolution

Town and Country Resort

San Diego, California

August 15-19, 2003

The Second Annual Conference of the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) is sure to be an unforgettable experience! The conference will include more than 200 educational workshops presented in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Taking place a year following the official launch of the AFM, CREnet and SPIDR merger, the conference will offer a time to reconnect and enjoy the growing strength of the merged organization.

Presented in a welcoming and collaborative environment, the conference will focus on the advances and innovations in the conflict resolution field. Our 2002 Conference Program Committee has been hard at work, creating what will certainly be a memorable and thought-provoking experience for all attendees. This is an event in which people in the conflict resolution field—educators, practitioners, and others—will have the chance to discuss their challenges and share their successes with colleagues and friends. Through conference plenaries, workshops, special events, and intimate conversations with fellow participants, attendees will learn and address the changes our field is facing.

The conference location—San Diego, California—offers a true West Coast experience. It is an accessible destination city with a conference center only short tram rides away from the most sought after southern California sites. Located in Mission Valley, the Town and Country Resort and Conference Center offers comfortable accommodations, a wealth of amenities, and the staff's devoted attention to vacationers and conference attendees alike. Nearby, visitors will find the 27-hole Riverwalk Golf Course and the Fashion Valley Shopping Center—the largest shopping mecca in San Diego, with more than 300 specialty shops and restaurants and an 18-screen movie complex. Easy access to San Diego's newly expanded light rail trolley system provides visitors with convenient transportation to Old Town, downtown San Diego, and Tijuana, Mexico.

The structure of the conference will help all dispute resolvers feel welcome. The 2002 conference starts on Thursday morning, August 22, with an opening keynote presentation titled "Everything I Learned in Life I Learned from My Grandfather" by Arun Gandhi, grandson of India's late spiritual leader, Mohandas Karamchand ("Mahatma") Gandhi. The conference will continue over the next three days with more than 175 workshop sessions geared to those new and seasoned in the growing conflict resolution field. While sessions will vary in format and encourage differing views, the common themes, issues, and techniques across practice areas will be noted. There will also be a set of pre-conference skill-building institutes on Wednesday, August 21. Come early and take advantage of the opportunity to delve deeper into issues and skills with these three- to six-hour institutes.

ACR will offer you additional chances to meet with others specifically focused in your area of expertise through mentoring and consulting opportunities and Section meetings. 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.

To help you identify the sessions that address your particular needs and interests, we have coded them with one or more icons to distinguish content and subject matter. These include: commercial, community, consumer, court, criminal justice, crisis negotiation, education, environmental/public policy, family, health care, international, ombuds, online disputes, organizational conflict management, spirituality, training, workplace, and youth. There is also a special track of bilingual sessions, which will be presented in both English and Spanish, and a 9-11 track.

The annual conference will create space for interaction outside of workshops. In the Exhibit Hall, attendees and vendors will have an opportunity to share their needs and services throughout the entire conference. From innovations in conflict resolution technology to educational materials, you will have access to information on the latest conflict resolution programs, services, and products. During the day, a poster exhibit will create additional learning opportunities. Among the evening receptions and celebrations will be an exciting Friday night event, where conference attendees will have the opportunity to relax poolside and enjoy food, live music, and festivities celebrating southern California and Mexico.

As part of the Youth M-POWER! Program, youth will again be an integral part of the conference experience. Through the work of a Youth Program Committee, a number of sessions will be structured specifically for youth. In addition, an ongoing youth mentoring program will be available. The entire four days will offer both educational sessions and social events, providing numerous opportunities for adults and youth to learn from one another.

The 2002 Conference Program Committee, and the ACR Board of Directors and Staff are excited about the many sessions and activities planned for our four days together in San Diego. We are pleased to create one of the largest forums ever for all of us to learn from one another. We encourage you to join us as we listen to experienced practitioners, challenge our assumptions, add to our knowledge base, and have a great time with friends and colleagues. Please mark your calendar, and do all you can to encourage colleagues to register and join us in San Diego. (See our conference Web site at www.acresolution.org).

Conference registration fees: If you register by June 21, 2002, the early bird fee is $325 US for ACR members and $405 US for prospective members. If you register between June 22 and July 19, the 2nd chance registration fee is $380 US for members and $460 US for prospective members. If you register after July 19, 2002, the full registration fee is $425 US for members and $505 US for prospective members. Pre-conference Institutes are $50 for half-day workshops (3 hours) and $100 for full-day workshops (6 hours). Full conference registration fees include: a continental breakfast on Friday, continental breakfast on Saturday (for ACR members only at the membership meeting), two box lunches (Thursday and Friday), the Presidential Lunch (Saturday), the Welcome Reception (Thursday), Evening Event (Friday), coffee breaks, and all conference materials.

The Town & Country is holding a block of rooms for annual conference guests at preferred rates. Remember to reserve your room early to ensure the ACR rate of $140 US single and $160 US double.

We are looking forward to seeing you in San Diego this August!

More about the Keynote Presenter:

As the U.S. and the world grapple with increasing violence and the ongoing “War on Terrorism,” Arun Gandhi continues to speak out about the power and necessity of nonviolence today. As someone who has helped “carry the torch” of his legendary grandfather’s work, Arun has dedicated his life to promoting a greater understanding and adoption of nonviolence as a means of effecting change. In his presentation, Arun will share with the audience many fascinating stories of living with his grandfather during India’s mostly non-violent revolution against British rule. He will also point to the influences that his own father and his youth spent in South Africa had on his upbringing and understanding of race, religion, and cultural assimilation.

Born in 1934 in Durban, South Africa, Arun Gandhi is the fifth grandson of India’s late spiritual leader, Mohandas Karamchand (“Mahatma”) Gandhi. Growing up under South Africa’s apartheid was difficult, humiliating, and often dangerous. Enduring bigoted attacks from European-African youths for not being “White,” and from Native Africans for not being “Black,” served to increase the anger that Arun Gandhi felt as a young man. Hoping that time with his grandfather would help the 12-year-old Arun control his rage and deal with prejudice through nonviolent means, his parents took him to India to live with The Mahatma (“great soul”) in 1946. Arun’s stay with his grandfather coincided with the most tumultuous period in India’s struggle to free itself from British rule. His grandfather showed Arun firsthand the effects of a national campaign for liberation carried out through both violent and nonviolent means. For 18 months, while Gandhi imparted lessons to his grandson, the young man was also witnessing world history unfold before his eyes—a convergence that set Arun on a course for life.

Arun Gandhi, grandson of MK Gandhi, is co-founder of the Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence based at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tenn. The keynote presentation will be held 9:15 am – 10:30 am, Thursday, August 22.

Photo courtesy of the Gandhi Institute.