During my ongoing search for training on how to mediate religious conflicts, I came upon a program through the International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM). ICERM is a New York-based nonprofit that holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). It is a self-described "emerging center of excellence for ethnic and religious conflict resolution and peacebuilding," and its focus is national interreligious and intercultural conflict.

ICERM offers a Mediation Academy, online and in-person, for those interested in becoming practitioners of ethno-religious mediation. The goal of their specialized training is described as follows:

"... to prepare and equip participants with the theoretical and practical tools and skills needed to successfully prevent, manage and resolve tribal, ethnic, racial, cultural, religious or sectarian conflicts through proper analysis, policy development, mediation and dialogue."

I am curious as to how the Mediation Academy may benefit mediators like myself, who focus on "micro" religious and cultural conflict-- within families, workplaces, and organizations. I have no doubt that the methods of analysis and theories of conflict that are most valuable for addressing "macro" interreligious and intercultural conflict might also have something to offer those who deal with "micro" aggressions of the same nature. This is an area of family and workplace mediation that is still in its infancy, and as such, engaging the work of "macro" practitioners will encourage us to think about the ways in which we may tailor their practices to suit the family and workplace context.

View a description of the training program here.

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