Locally-Led Peacebuilding

Offers tailored conflict resolution training programs for businesses, educational institutions, and community groups to build internal capacity for managing disputes.

Provides mediation for landlord/tenant issues, property damage, breach of contract, consumer and commercial complaints, debt collection, neighbor disputes, and other small claims conflicts in the Southern Tier of New York.

Implements restorative justice practices including mediation, conferencing, and talking circles to address harm, build community accountability, and support healing in a structured and safe environment.

Operates the Voices for Children/CASA program, training and deploying volunteer advocates to support children at risk of abuse or neglect through court and community advocacy, ensuring their best interests are represented.

Offers specialized mediation services tailored to farmers and members of the agricultural community to resolve disputes related to farming operations and rural livelihoods.

Offers mediation services for divorce, custody, visitation, child support, and parenting arrangements, including drafting legally recognized parenting plans and agreements. Services are available on a sliding fee scale and include notarized agreements and Memoranda of Understanding.

Provides a 36-hour initial training program, apprenticeship, and continuing education for volunteer mediators, and trains Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) to support vulnerable children in the legal system.

Conducts academic research and in-depth analysis on resolved political conflicts between 1946 and 2018, examining drivers and resolution methods through comparative analysis to inform practical conflict resolution models.

Develops a generalized, research-based model derived from historical conflict analysis for application to current and future political conflicts worldwide.

Delivers educational programming designed to equip practitioners with innovative ideas, paradigms, and engagement strategies in conflict resolution, based on research findings.

Develops and shares experiential peacebuilding curricula, training materials, and activities—including through publications such as the 2019 book Experiential Peacebuilding—and collaborates with Outward Bound schools and global partners to advance the field of experiential peace education.

Offers a 12-month fellowship program for emerging leaders, educators, and practitioners that integrates experiential learning, community leadership, and peacebuilding, including participation in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of training programs. Fellows are compensated for facilitation work and have travel and accommodation costs covered.

Designs and facilitates experiential peacebuilding training programs, including multi-day expeditions and workshops, for international participants from diverse backgrounds, focusing on leadership, empathy, conflict resolution, and collective resilience. Programs have been delivered in Norway, Germany, Finland, and the U.S., including at UWC Red Cross Nordic and in collaboration with Outward Bound schools.

Conducts weeklong and multi-day experiential peacebuilding training programs for instructors and staff from multiple Outward Bound schools and partner organizations, including immersive expeditions in winter conditions, with participation from educators across Europe and North America.

Runs a shared experiential learning and leadership development initiative for Israeli and Palestinian leaders from political, private, and civil society sectors, using wilderness expeditions and structured exercises to build mutual understanding, trust, and cooperation, with ongoing alumni network support for regional collaboration.

Produces research and publications on experiential peacebuilding and compassion, including the 2019 book Experiential Peacebuilding and contributions to Project Regeneration's Nexus, a collection of readings and ideas on compassion.

Offers mediation services to resolve conflicts within the community. This program supports peaceful dispute resolution through direct intervention and facilitated dialogue.

Funds nonprofit civil legal services providers through a grantmaking program awarding $70 million over two years to expand legal aid for low-income New Yorkers. Also subgrants funds to Community Dispute Resolution Centers (CDRCs) to support mediator recruitment, training, and community outreach.