Thank you to everyone that was able to join us for our annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. We love any opportunity to spend quality time with you! Also a big thanks to Bayview Catering for providing a delicious BBQ Pork spread!

We are so grateful that our 2022 Evan Ferber Peacemaker Leadership Award Recipient's family was able to join us to accept the award on his behalf. Learn more about Jose Gutierrez Jr. below. 

 Jose served his local community in countless roles, since the early age of 12, using his gifts as a man of faith, an ​educator, mentor, professor, DJ, philanthropist, advocate, certified mediator, founder, leader, entertainer, philosopher, and innovator.

Jose was a charismatic & iconic leader in his community, opposing injustice of all kinds creating dynamic solutions to comprehensive problems that many shy away from. Because of his passion for serving, Jose has spent a lifetime dedicated to being a peacemaker. As a leader, he has stood in the middle of crisis, speaking truth to power while offering practical, innovative, and progressive solutions. He was and is truly a local legend and his contributions to humanity are a reflection of what it means to love, lead and serve.
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Jose saw conflict as an opportunity to creatively reach a common ground using various forms of the arts and media to reach people of all walks of life; synthesizing his gifts and professional knowledge as a philosopher, poet, Hip-Hop artist, DJ, journalist, professor, and Certified Mediator imparting life-long tools, skills and wisdom to his diverse audience.

Mother Teresa once said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Jose’s life’s work has been an embodiment of that sentiment. We were honored to present this award to Jose’s sister Stella Hoioulani at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic August 10, 2022.

Around 9:00 this morning, the DRC office experienced a system outage that affected our ability to access our server and answer phones. This has immediately become our highest priority and technical support is working to identify the source of the problem and get us back up and running.

Many staff members have returned home to work remotely and continue to provide services to our community as best as we can. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience  this may have caused to our volunteers, our clients, and our community. We understand the impact an outage can have on people's lives and we thank you for your patience and support while get our systems back online.

If you have an urgent need in the meantime, please contact Robyn Togesen and we will do our best to help until we get things back to normal.

Update - 2/28/2022 2:53 pm: Our services are now back online and we are fully able to return to normal operations. Thank you again for your patience and understanding!

P.S. Because our phone systems were inaccessible from 9:00 am to about 3:00 pm, deadlines for Eviction Resolution Program cases will be extended through end of business tomorrow, March 1, 2022 to accommodate this outage.

​Mary and Shelly are highlighted in a special feature story in Thurston Talk.  Read the article.

Washington State’s phased re-opening plan is responsive to the continually changing public health reality in our region.  As such, the Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) has had a similarly fluid response, directed by the statewide guidance of the time.  Our primary interest and concern remains the health and safety of our community, staff, volunteers, and clients – in both the near- and long-term. 
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The following safety precautions are in place until posted otherwise to protect the health and wellness of everyone and to curtail the further spread of illness. We are asking everyone to support these efforts. ​

In 2019 the Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County served 6,168 members of our community through mediation, facilitation, training, youth outreach, conflict coaching and our Conflict Resolution Resource Line - an increase of 35% from the prior year!

This record of service was made possible by more than 140 volunteers who collectively give over 5,000 hours of service each year to help make our vision - a South Sound community that has a uses healthy and respectful conflict resolution skills - a reality.  The contributions of our dedicated volunteers - the "heart and soul" of our organization - are highlighted in our 2020 Community Impact Report.

The theme of this year's report -"Navigating a Way Forward" - highlights both the DRC's focus on helping individuals, families and organizations navigate conflict, and our efforts to develop innovative new online resources to serve our community as we all navigate through uncharted waters during these challenging times.

We hope you will take a few moments to read the online version of our report. 

We are in a period of significant societal transformation—with the COVID-19 outbreak and racial justice movement. The actions we take, as individuals and as institutions, will have a lasting, profound effect on our collective experience. 
 
In my varied roles within this community, I see tremendous potential to create a stronger society IF we navigate this time of conflict well.  It requires each of us to be willing to have uncomfortable conversations, and we need to have them with a spirit of openness and a willingness to listen, understand, and grow. 
 
Navigating conflict, in ways that maintain, restore and rebuild relationships, is as old as human history.  We have sat in circle discussing harm and addressing accountability.  We have asked for support from others to facilitate tough conversations. This practice of coming together in a way that enables us to truly see and understand our fellow humans comes from an ancient interest and need to stay safe by remaining in community with one another. 
 
In this moment that we find ourselves, I keep reflecting on other times in history where significant social change occurred.  The civil rights movement of the 1960s was one of these times. Communities mobilized, catalyzed by feelings of confusion, sadness, anger, and for some, optimism and hope. 
 
This period of uncertainty, change, and conflict contributed to the birth of community mediation centers, via the 1964 Civil Rights Act.   The act established the Community Relations Service within the Department of Justice, which was referred to as “America’s Peacemaker for Community Conflict.” A few years later, the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration funded the formation of neighborhood justice centers, which were the precursors to today’s community mediation centers, such as your local Dispute Resolution Center of Thurston County. 
 
We are again in a pivotal time of history, filled with uncertainty, change, and conflict. People may be motivated to seek solutions through litigation or violence.  In Olympia, we are seeing demonstrations that occasionally result in destruction and arrests. In addition, as our state reopens from the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, we are seeing a rise in tenant-landlord disputes, housing insecurity, struggles for at-risk youth, and family or neighbor conflicts.
 
I know from experience that the best solutions emerge when we work together - when we convene people with diverse viewpoints and interests, who are willing to show up, without thinking they have all the answers but with an interest in creating a future that works better than today.

 Since March of this year, we all have experienced a continuous unfurling of events across the globe like nothing most of us have ever seen.  The COVID-19 crisis has affected each of us differently, whether from having loved ones fall ill, to a significant change in employment or retirement savings, to supporting others on overtime due to one’s role in the community, and so much more.  While our experiences thus far have had some differences, the trauma, grief, isolation, and uncertainly is a shared experience.  As a community, we endure together and in our demonstration of resilience, we grow stronger.

The DRC is here to support you in your communication and conflict resolution needs!

Online Dispute Resolution is the newest way that we are available to serve individuals and groups needing mediation.  Call us at (360) 956-1155 to learn more.  Our business line is currently open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Online Communication & Conflict Resolution Training provides both the forum and the process to help individuals and work teams in our region’s businesses, state agencies, schools, and more.  Email our Training Manager to find our about training opportunities and resources for you or your organization.

Online Facilitation is a great way to support your team in this time of adaptive change. We can conduct facilitated dialogues, as well as facilitated meetings, focused on specific strategic outcomes with a proven process and neutral third-party presence. Call us to learn more.

Washington State’s phased re-opening plan is a fluid process that will be responsive to the continually changing public health reality in our regions.  As such, the DRC will have a similarly fluid re-opening process, in accordance with state government directives and guidelines. 

Our office is currently closed to the public.  However you may contact us at info@mediatethurston.org or call (360) 956-1155. 
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Thank you for your patience, understanding and support.
Jody M. Suhrbier
Executive Director

As the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak continues to impact our world in profound ways, the Dispute Resolution Center is committed to keeping you informed about our response to service provision for our community.

While the DRC office is currently closed to the public, our Conflict Resolution Resource line remains operational between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

These are trying times and you may be experiencing need for our services.  We are committed to supporting our community now and in the future - increasing understanding, identifying shared interests, focusing on the things which link us, and encouraging creative problem-solving.

We are currently scheduling mediation and training services for mid-May and beyond, some of which may be offered in a virtual setting.  We have been and will continue to adapt our response, as necessary, with our community’s health and safety being our primary interest and concern.

We are actively monitoring the latest recommendations and directives of our local and state authorities and we encourage you to stay informed: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus.

Questions?  Contact us at info@mediatethurston.org or call (360) 956-1155.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and support.
Jody M. Suhrbier
Executive Director

The Dispute Resolution Center takes the safety of our clients, volunteers and staff very seriously and want to share with you updated information on how we are responding to the continually evolving Coronavirus/COVID-19 public health situation.

The DRC office is currently closed to the public.  Staff are maintaining modified business hours of 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for our Conflict Resolution Resource Line and we are currently scheduling in-person mediation and training services for mid-May and beyond.

We have been and will continue to adapt our response, as necessary, with our community’s health and safety being our primary interest and concern.

We are actively monitoring the latest recommendations and directives of our local and state authorities and we encourage you to stay informed: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus.

Questions?   Contact us at info@mediatethurston.org or call (360) 956-1155.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and support.
Jody M. Suhrbier
Executive Director