2021 has proven to be a fantastic year for training at CRS. From our redesigned Accredited Mediation Training to new partnerships and training offerings, there’s a lot of exciting news to share.

Despite global pandemics and lockdowns, the demand for Mediation Training continues to grow. In 2019, CRS trained 21 mediators across 5 courses throughout the year. The shift towards face-to-face and online training proved a hit in 2020, seeing us assist 53 participants with the training to become accredited mediators over 9 courses. While 2020’s numbers were promising, the interest in mediation training throughout 2021 has been unprecedented. Over the 11 courses in the year-to-date, we have trained 91 participants learn the skills, processes, and ethical principles required to become a nationally accredited mediator. The 2021 numbers represent more than a 400% increase compared to 2019.

We realised that mediating effectively is an artform; it’s not something that can be taught through slideshows or lectures. This realisation inspired our decision to take a unique approach to teaching the skills, techniques and processes of facilitating a mediation. 2021 marked the beginning of CRS’s partnership with Naractiv, which has incorporated aspects of theatre-based learning into our training and workshops. Our training participants are immersed in mediation – they will see, hear, and feel the experience of mediation from a variety of different roles. Our Mediation Training is now highly engaging and participatory, which has gained glowing feedback from students. Collectively, students through 2021 rated their overall enjoyment of the Mediation Training at 4.7 out of 5.

Some feedback from recent 2021 Mediation Training participants:

“I found the practical application of the steps in Mediation to be a very helpful way to understand the process, and how to apply it in real settings. The blend of theory and practical application from the first day was beneficial for me and the ‘games/playing’ with Matt and Hamish set the group dynamics very nicely and well for a supportive and collaborative learning environment.”

“All round overwhelmingly positive and the synchronisation of co-delivery of the course by Hamish and Matt was superb. I’ll be recommending this course to others and also because you made me feel very welcome from when I first met you Monday last week. It felt [like] a supported environment to let go of any anxiety of participation and immerse myself in a safe learning environment, so a note of appreciative thanks to you all for this.”

While 2021 has proven to be a fantastic year for training at CRS, 2022 is shaping up to be even more exciting. With a range of training and workshop options available – from half-day introductions to the full 5 day Mediation Training – there’s an option for everyone to conquer conflict and learn skills for life.