Hope for MCM at SOROPTIMIST congress, Vienne

Hello to you all,

Good news : SOROPTIMIST CLUB PARIS-SUD has presented a project proposal to the 1300 european and african SOROPTIMIST Clubs to support MCM mediators and women of Mitrovica first but not only. The club gave a small leaflet to all 1300 participants which details long term expectations for the whole area. Members of the club keep themselves aware of what is beeing done until now in Macedonia Serbia Kosovo Montenegro and some of the projects of YEMnet's (Young European Mediators network) members in Croatia, as her member Diane was one of the very first educators to train Young European Mediators, back in 1996-98.

This happened at the congress of the Soroptimist International / Europe in Vienna (Austria), where Paris-Sud's representatives hold a conference-workshop on friday, july 8., 2005, 2pm., about mediation and the need for training in Mitrovica and Kosovo.

Go and have a look at their leaflet. Download its english or french version by clicking on the current headline, you will be directed to Soroptimist Paris-Sud's new website. We worked hard together on the documents and wish you a good reading. Please comment.

This is not a first step from Soroptimist International / Europe. In the past years, Mrs Heidrun Konrad emphasized the focus on Bosnia during her 2-year presidence with success. Mrs Heidrun Konrad will be succeeded on sunday, july 10., 2005, by Mrs Monique Rivière, new elected president for Europe until the next Soroptimist International congress in Glasgow, 2007.

The SI/Europe will not stop its efforts to support mediators in South-east Europe. I guess that very soon someone who visited MCM recently might have good news to tell you when she's back… Hopefully it's only a start, we expect to be able to associate SI/Europe more largely and involve other organisations into our actions for youths and women in south-east Europe.

Please, comment and mail your ideas back, to boost the projects.

Project proposal for MCM from Edona & Dusan

Many thanks to Edona and Dusan who sent us a project proposal for MCM, for the next monthes. They managed to prepare the project while they were still busy with their exams and jobs. Thanks to those who helped them writing it down (Aferdita Bojan Dejan Gezim Jelena ?)

Now that we know exactly what you want, we'll do our best to provide you with a training session for future educators in mediation, either in Tivat, Montenegro or in Ohrid, Macedonia, as requested.
End of August - beginning of september may be too short to get the fundings (and the price of accomodation will higher in summer) but it seems that the end of october would be a good period. We still need to check here whether we can get enough funds to set it up for 25 trainees and 3 to 5 educators. Do your own checking to see who will be available at what time and come back to us. Any idea about the place to accomodate us ?

Some of the women already involved into friendship programs in Mitrovica and members of Prishtina Soroptimist Club are wishing to come and join if MCM's board members agree. They could help or partner within MCM projects. If you have any other idea, please keep in touch.

Hope to see you soon. All the best to you. TD

Remember Tivat, Boka Kotorska, 2003

The sea is so peaceful at Boka… just like mediators after training

Hello from Soroptimist Club Paris Sud

We'll be with you in Kosovo from may 27. till june 10., 2005, to review the opportunities to :
• help MCM, Mitrovica Centre for Mediation developing a new mediation training program for future educators
• help women's friendship initiatives in Kosovo.
Martine Dufour, from Équipes de Paix dans les Balkans, former Balkan Peace Team, will accompany our ambassador from Soroptimist Club Paris Sud.
If you want to contact them whilst they're in Kosovo, please mail Bojan, Dusan or Edona from MCM, or Thierry.
Françoise Dénoyers
Soroptimist Club Paris Sud, présidente
Write me at: francoise.denoyers@free.fr
To know more about Soroptimist International / Europe, visit their website

Mitrovica ? Paris ? Where's Jelena ?

Yesterday evening in Paris, we had the pleasure to meet Jelena, from Mediation Centre Mitrovica on her visit to France with Caritas. Very serious and interesting conferences.
We hope to read a short summary from Jelena soon here.

EuroMediation to sponsor MWoB

EuroMediation educators are back into action. They're cooking some great news for the near future in cooperation with the Soroptimist International / Europe and Paris-Sud Club, thanks to Paris-Sud Club.

Podgorica, MWoB first regional branch

Opening of local and regional branches of Mediators Without Borders are planned in different countries.
September 2003 : Montenegro is first to set up a local branch of MWoB : the Centar za Medjaciu - Medjatori Bez Granica, Podgorica. The creation of CMMBG was achieved by Mirjana Djurovic's team with the help and training of EuroMediation.

Mitrovica : after Tivat, MCM was born…

…Thanks to Astrit, Bojan, Aferdita, Dejan, Gezim, Jelena, Edona, Dusan, Lulijeta, Kosta, Petrit, Danijel, Shpend, Vlada, Suzana, Danijela, Marko, Slavica, Mirjana, Ivana & Ivana, Daniela, Morelba, Marie-Eve, Henri-Xavier, Thierry…

Young European Mediators' network

MWoB have been leading an important mediation training program for Young Europeans since 1996.
Following 18 full-week trainings conducted in the European Union and the Balkans on behalf and with the help of the Council of Europe, young mediators movements have arisen in various countries and regions : France, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo-UNMIK & Serbia.
They decided to join their forces to build up YEMnet, the Young European Mediators' network. YEMnet accounts for more than 250 young mediators, ranging from 16 to 30 years old, throughout Europe, of which 150 in former Yugoslavia.
YEMnet members think that peace needs to be taken great care of. Peace has to be built step by step, hour after hour, in everyday life, at home or school, at the university, in commercial, religious or political matters.
Together Young European Mediators intend to take an active part in building up a peaceful, mature and healthy European Community.

A Blog for MWoB & YEMnet

Here's MWoB's & YEMnet's news Blog.
Feel free to use it as much as you can to deliver & share your mediation projects and hot breaking news!
It will be the first step to a real website for the Network of Mediators Without Borders and its youth branch YEMnet.
To start with, let's invite all Mediation Centres in former Yougoslavia* to publish their latest news :
⁃ Serbia : Centar za Medjaciu, Beograd
⁃ Kosovo-UNMIK : MCM - Mediation Centre Mitrovica
⁃ Montenegro : Centar za Medjaciu - Mediatori Bez Granica, Podgorica
⁃ Macedonia (Tetovo & Skopje), Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia…
Your turn now… We hope to read from all of you soon here.
Thierry

Who are MWoB ?

Mediators Without Borders are experienced facilitators, experts and volunteers from various NGOs used to face every day life tensions & disputes, even conflicts or wars, throughout the world. They decided to set up MWoB as a non-profit NGO.
MWoB's volunteers around the world are ready to answer your needs for mediation, training, coaching, assistance, advice, witnessing and listening, crisis debriefing…

MWoB serve populations affected by disputes and conflcts,
MWoB welcome and listen to victims of wars and catastrophes,

MWoB engage on the field to assist NGOs encountering tensed relations,
MWoB assist confligents in their quest to a nonviolent way out of conflict,

MWoB advise local and international authorities during negotiations,
MWoB train local mediators and facilitators who will help community (re)building.

Mediators Without Borders deliver active trainings, lectures, conferences, articles, to help clarifying and explaining mecanisms of violence emerging and developing, and the ways to get rid of them through a Person-Centred Approach of education, Integrative Listening and Integrative Mediation.