WELCOME TO ACR UPDATE—the monthly e-newsletter sharing important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with ACR members. Your feedback is welcome!

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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Frances Moore Lappé to Deliver Keynote at ACR’s 2005 Annual Conference

2. National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign: April 4–8, 2005

3. ACR Designates October 20, 2005 as “Conflict Resolution Day”

4. Development Update: Shop at iGive.com and Support ACR

5. Annual Conference Marketing Opportunities

6. Section Teleconference Series

7. News from Sections: OCM, Spirituality, Workplace

8. News from Chapters: Northern California, Greater Delaware Valley, New England and Greater New York

9. Quotations

10. Message from Our Sponsors: Solomon Publications—New ADR Books and Online Courses and Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

April 4-8, 2005 is National Youth Violence Prevention Week! This nationwide, web-based initiative educates students, teachers, school administrators, counselors, school resource officers, school staff, parents and the public on ways to reduce and prevent youth violence. Each day of the campaign focuses on a specific prevention strategy and includes information and activities to address youth violence and unite communities. ACR has been involved with the campaign for several years and is proud to be a Strategy Sponsor. The National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign was founded by the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E.) and GuidanceChannel.com, a brand of Sunburst Visual Media. To learn more about the campaign, become involved, or inform ACR about your National Youth Violence Prevention Week activities, please contact Jennifer Druliner at jdruliner@ACRnet.org or 202-464-9700, ext. 228.

3. ACR Designates October 20, 2005 as “Conflict Resolution Day”

The ACR Board has adopted a resolution designating October 20, 2005 as Conflict Resolution Day in order to increase public awareness about conflict resolution and its many benefits. As part of this recognition effort, ACR is reaching out to various conflict resolution groups to build interest in holding celebrations in conjunction with this day of recognition. ACR is also working to gain a Congressional resolution designating October 20, 2005 Conflict Resolution Day. To learn more about this effort and how you can become involved, contact Sharon Press or Jennifer Druliner.

ACR Members also can sign up for periodic updates about ACR’s National Conflict Resolution Day efforts by logging in to the Online Member Center, clicking on “My Profile,” then “Contact Groups” and selecting “National Conflict Resolution Day.”

4. Development Update: Shop at iGive.com and Support ACR

NOW your everyday shopping and holiday gifts can benefit ACR and support the conflict resolution field! How? Shop www.iGive.com/ACR/ today!

Who hasn’t uttered the words, “I wish there was something I could do to help”? Now you can. Start shopping!

The next time you go to buy that book, CD box set, laser printer or pair of shoes that you’ve had your eye on, don’t grab your car keys—turn on your computer and visit www.iGive.com/ACR/. Up to 26% of each purchase is donated to ACR.

At www.iGive.com/ACR you can shop for everyday items at more than 500 stores at iGive.com, like Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer, Land’s End, Expedia.com and many more top brands. Visit www.iGive.com for details.

Missed the 2005 Annual Conference Pre-Conference brochure deadline? Don’t worry!

ACR members and Minneapolis-based businesses and professionals have a special two-week deadline extension! Just submit your pre-conference brochure contract by April 15th, 2005 and you’ll reach 30,000 conflict resolution practitioners, professionals and educators.

Visit ACR’s website at to learn more about advertising, exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities at ACR’s Fifth Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN on September 28 – October 1, or download a complete marketing brochure.

For specific inquiries, email marketing@ACRnet.org. Hurry! April 15th is the last deadline.

6. ACR Section Teleconference Series

Upcoming Section Teleconferences

Commercial Section Teleconference: Monday, April 4, 2005

Join the Commercial Section on Monday, April 4, 2005, 3 p.m. EDT for its teleseminar on “Rostering and Managing Your Usage On Government ADR Lists,” with presenter Anglia Tolbert, Esq., founder and President of Absolute Resolution Services, Inc. A current member of the Commercial Section’s advisory board and its Diversity & Equity point person, Ms. Tolbert and special guest will provide an overview of program administration, criteria for rosters, practical tips for getting on rosters and Agencies’ diversity initiatives. Ms. Tolbert has graciously agreed to present this teleseminar again due to the overwhelming response to her first presentation. You will not want to miss the teleseminar and the subsequent CD.

Workplace Section Teleconference: Friday, April 29, 2005

Join the Workplace Section on April 29, Friday, 12:00 p.m. EDT for an informative discussion with Lou Gieszl, Deputy Executive Director, Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO), on “Using the MACRO Report to Identify Opportunities and Promote Conflict Resolution Processes in the Workplace.” For instructions on how to register please visit http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/ or contact Anne-Marie Burton at sections@ACRnet.org.

Spirituality Section Teleconferences: May 5 and June 9, 2005

Join the Spirituality Section on May 5 at 3 pm EDT. JoAnne Kellert will speak on “Accessing the Greater Vision of Our Work as Conflict Resolution Professionals.”

Join the Spirituality Section on June 9 at 3 pm EDT. Daniel Bowling and Dana Curtis will speak on “Reflective Mediation Practice.”

Registration Open for OCM Section Conference: April 15-16, 2005.

If you have not registered for the upcoming Organizational Conflict Management (OCM) Section’s conference you still have time to do so! The OCM Section has raised the bar for this year’s conference on “Conflict Management Systems Design and Beyond: What’s Next in the Field of Conflict Management Systems Design?” The conference will be held April 15-16, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. Enhance your understanding of conflict management systems and how it fits with other systems; build your knowledge, expertise and potential services as a conflict management practitioner; and impact the future direction of conflict management systems design.

Online registration is now open! For more information and to register, visit the OCM Section webpage.

Please note: To receive a discounted room rate, make your hotel reservation by the close of business, April 1, 2005.

Spirituality Section Hosts Mid-Year Program with ACR’s D.C. Chapter

Save the Date: The Spirituality Section and the D.C. Chapter of ACR will be holding a mid-year program, “The Next Frontier: Harnessing Spiritual Intelligence in Conflict Resolution,” featuring keynote speaker Erica Ariel Fox, Director, Harvard Negotiation Insight Initiative. The program will take place on May 20 in Washington, D.C. Further details will be announced soon on the Spirituality Section webpage.

Workplace Section Updates:

Labor Arbitration and Mediation Committee’s Third Annual Workshop: Save the date!

The Workplace Section’s Labor Arbitration and Mediation Committee (LAMC) will present its third annual workshop for advanced labor arbitrators on September 28, 2005 at ACR’s Fifth Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Committee Co-Chairs Jeremy V. Cohen, Gary Hattal and Jay Siegel have developed a new one-day, hands-on program on the development and management of a successful labor arbitration practice. If you have any questions, please contact Jeremy Cohen at jvcohen1936@yahoo.com.

Workplace Section announces new “Labor and Employment Arbitrator” Advanced Practitioner
The ACR Workplace Section is pleased to announce the first Advanced Practitioner Category for Labor and Employment Arbitrators. A labor and employment arbitrator is a neutral with substantial experience in labor arbitration and/or employment arbitration. This AP designation represents a significant level of experience beyond the ACR Practitioner level designation in issues related to the workplace grievances and litigated employment disputes. More information will be available soon.

Workplace Mediator Advanced Practitioner Designation
The ACR Workplace Section currently offers an AP designation for workplace mediators. For more information about this advanced level of membership, please go to http://www.ACRnet.org/referrals/mediators.htm.

8. News from Chapters: Northern California, Greater Delaware Valley, New England, Greater New York

ACR – Northern California Chapter Annual Conference: April 16, 2005

ACR – Northern California Chapter will hold its 2005 annual conference on Saturday, April 16, 2005, at Headlands Institute and Conference Center in Sausalito, California. Robert R. Stains, Jr., M.Ed., LMFT will deliver the keynote speech, titled “From Animosity to Understanding: Creating Conditions for Dialogue.” The conference will feature presentations and workshops by Nancy Hanawi; Edith Ng; Robert R. Stains, Jr., M.Ed., LMFT; Stephen H. Sulmeyer, J.D., Ph.D., and panel discussions.

Register by April 4th for the Early Bird rate at http://www.adrnc.org/ or download a registration form to mail, or contact:

Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California

601 Van Ness Ave. #E3-102,

San Francisco, CA 94102-6300

Telephone: 650-745-3842

Email: adr@adrnc.org

ACR – Greater Delaware Valley Chapter Panel of ADR Experts: April 18, 2005

ACR – Greater Delaware Valley Chapter will host “Tackling Tough Dilemmas in ADR,” a panel of expert mediators and arbitrators with backgrounds in various fields of ADR answering questions about practice issues, on Monday, April 18, 2005, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Light buffet supper is included.

Fee: $15 for Chapter Members, $20 for Non-Members.

Location: Center for Resolutions, 26 East Fourth Street, Media, Pennsylvania.

Send reservation requests and a check made out to “ACR – Delaware Valley” to Phoebe Sheftel, 414 Barclay Road, Rosemont, PA 19010 for receipt no later than April 14.

For additional information, contact Ed Blumstein at edmediates@hotmail.com or Barbara Foxman at bef423@mindspring.com.

ACR – New England Chapter To Hold Annual Meeting April 27, 2005

ACR – New England Chapter will hold its Annual Meeting and elections on Wednesday, April 27, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont Street, Boston. Following the meeting Lisle Baker, Suffolk University Law Professor, will present “Using insights from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® as an aid to mediation with some comparisons between a sample of lawyers, judges and mediators.” The cost for those registering by Wednesday, April 20th is $25 (members), $35 (not-yet members), or $15 (students). After April 20th, the registration fee increases by $5. For registration information and directions, please visit http://www.neacr.org, or contact Blair Trippe at 781-424-9586 or blair@AgreementResources.com.

ACR – Greater New York Chapter Annual Meeting: April 20, 2005

ACR – Greater New York Chapter will hold its annual meeting on Wednesday, April 20th. Presenting at that meeting will be John Barkat, the Ombudsman at Pace University, an international organizational development consultant and the former president of the Ombudsman Association. For more information, contact Julie Denny at 609-921-9021 or 212-944-7271.

10. Message from Our Sponsors: Solomon Publications and Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

Solomon Publications Offers New ADR Books and Online Courses

Solomon Publications Offers New ADR Books and Online Courses Basic Skills for the New Mediator and Basic Skills for the New Arbitrator, Second Editions by Allan H. Goodman are now available.

Online courses in ADR advocacy for attorneys and other professionals are also offered. For details, visit the Solomon Publications’ website, www.solomonpublications.com.

Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution - Pepperdine University School of Law

18th Annual Professional Skills Program in Dispute Resolution
June 16, 17, 18, 2005 - Malibu, California

Cost: $995 (early registration prior to May 6 is $895), governmental and non-profit $595.
Participants engage in three days of intensive skills instruction and practice in one focused area. Each program includes lectures, small group discussions and practice exercises. Choose one from the following twelve workshops:

• Advanced Mediation: Skills and Techniques

• “STAR” A Systematic Approach to Mediation Strategies

• Mediating Complex Construction Disputes

• Mindfulness in Law and Dispute Resolution

• Specialized Mediation: Handling Challenging Employment, Medical Malpractice and PI Cases

• The Protean Mediator as Leader: Advanced Problem Solving Theory and Design

• Negotiation and Settlement Skills

• Cultural and Gender Issues in Dispute Resolution

• Ombuds Programs as Emerging Models for Dispute Resolution

• Advocacy in Settlement Processes

• Designing Dispute Resolution Systems in the Workplace

• Employment Arbitration Skills

For more information contact Lori Rushford at (310) 506-6342 or go to http://www.StrausInstitute.com

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