For over 30 years, Our Family Services (OFS) has been providing mediation services to the Tucson community. The Center for Community Dialogue (CCD) came into existence as a separate program within OFS in 2011 in response to the January 8, 2011, Casas Adobes shootings. Following the tragedy, OFS and the grassroots group Tucsonans for Civility joined forces to form CCD with the goal of helping South
ern Arizonans discuss challenging issues in a skilled, civil and respectful way. In addition to offering mediation services, CCD hosts trainings, events and services in civil discourse and conflict resolution. The Center's mission is dedicated to facilitating, teaching and supporting Southern Arizonans in addressing personal, professional and community issues through respectful communication. The Center's vision is that Southern Arizona shines as a national model for the way community members, including community leaders, routinely engage in open, civil, and respectful dialogue when addressing interpersonal conflicts and examining community issues. CCD offers a number of programs in constructive communication, conflict resolution and community dialogue:
• Community Mediation: A safe, neutral and voluntary process for solving a variety of conflicts between individuals without going to court.
• Elder Mediation: A process to help families engage in productive discussions about the care of aging loved ones.
• Consulting & Intervention: For groups, organization and government entities—a neutral process for solving a variety of structural or administrative conflicts.
• Elder Circles: For those in the second half of life, an opportunity to talk about aging consciously and continuously finding joy in learning and giving back to the community. Elder Circles Without Walls (where meetings are conducted over the telephone) is designed for homebound and mobility impaired seniors. We also organize the annual conference Gather the Elders.
• Community Forums: Large public meetings where we facilitate group discussions on important or contentious community issues.
• Trainings: For people looking to develop or improve their skills in conflict management and effective communication, we offer a variety of trainings, including:
o 42-hour Basic Mediation
o Elder Care Mediation
o Basic Facilitation
o Circles Process Levels 1 & 2
o Elder Circles Facilitation
o Non-Violent Communication
