The article originally appeared in VOMA Connections #15.  More information about the project is found online at http://www.voma.org/Romania/. This site also features a promotional video developed for the awareness raising campaign.

Since 2001, the Community Mediation and Safety Center (CMSC) in Iasi, Romania, has been the only Romanian agency offering mediation services. Unfortunately, no legislative framework currently exists in Romania to regulate and encourage the use of alternative conflict resolution services. The result is slower and more expensive processes to resolve common community and family disputes or more complex disputes such as commercial and workplace litigations. Creation of a network of community mediation centers is necessary to resolve community disputes and standardize approaches. While some NGOs attempt to serve a community mediation function, many have differing approaches to the type of conflicts and disputes they address.

A more standardized approach is needed. 

In April 2003, CMSC formed a partnership with the Victim Offender Mediation Association (VOMA). The overall purpose of this partnership is to develop Romania’s mediation capacity through the introduction of new services, increased public awareness, and the introduction of legislation on mediation. The two major goals of the project are: 

• Establish conflict resolution centers in the northeastern Moldavian region of Romania with teams of mediators to resolve family and community conflicts

• Strengthen conflict mediation services in Romania through building local NGO capacity, increasing public awareness on the need for mediation services, and creating new mediation legislation. 

Training

From May through July 2003, VOMA provided 20 days of training and consultation. Barbara E. Raye (Center for Policy, Planning and Performance), Annie Warner Roberts (Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking, University of Minnesota, School of Social Work) and Susan Wiese (Coulee Region Mediation and Restorative Justice) comprised the training team, while Cornel Loghin, CMSC’s program coordinator, served as translator. 

Six courses were offered in mediation and related areas, plus additional days of independent study:

• Victim Offender Mediation/Restorative Group Conferencing (VOM/RGC)

• Training of Trainers in VOM/RGC – Level 1

• Training of Trainers in VOM/RGC – Level 2

• Basic Mediation – Level 1

• Basic Mediation – Level 2

• Workplace/Commercial Mediation & Supervision

Fifty-five people were trained, including probation officers, social workers, attorneys, youth workers and other NGO professionals. 

Media Campaign

In July 2003, a media and public awareness campaign was launched to enhance general knowledge in Romania about alternative methods for conflict resolution. Representatives from the governmental and funding agencies, Parliament, the criminal justice system, mediation centers, and the national press were present at the launch. Barbara Raye and Annie Warner Roberts were interviewed for national television and newspapers. 

This opening media event featured a new video promotional clip on mediation. Based upon a Romanian folk tale about shepherds and their flocks, the video illustrates the need for and advantages of mediation. In the future, the video will be presented on five national and local television channels. At least two million people will be reached. 

Legislation 

In order to introduce, promote, and sustain mediation in Romania, it is important to develop authorizing legislation. CMSC has established a team to review existing legislation from English speaking countries, the European Union, and Romania. The Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking, based at the University of Minnesota, provided a copy of their recent publication, Legislative Statutes on VOM: A National [U.S.] Review . 

Resources and In-kind Contributions 

Significant amounts of in-kind time and resources were contributed to the project. VOMA, the Center for Policy, Planning and Performance, and the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking donated resources, including the following: 

• Complete set of six VOM/Conferencing/RJ videos

• National RJ Training Institute materials

• 12 Steps to Personal Peacemaking booklets

• A report on The Impact of RJ Conferencing: A Review of 63 Empirical Studies in 5 Countries. 

Romanian – American Pen Pal Partners (RAPPP) 

CMSC and VOMA will sustain the partnership into the future. The Romanian–American Pen Pal Partners (RAPPP) initiative will pair up practitioners from both countries for one-to-one partnerships to foster reciprocal dialogue. We expect the cross-cultural exchange will be mutually beneficial, as partners will share ideas, issues, and innovations with each other. Interested practitioners can contact VOMA for further information about how to help. Practitioners from Romania have already applied for U.S. partners. 

Future Partnership Projects

CMSC and VOMA are in the process of developing an international project for the field of conflict resolution, initially proposed by three countries – Romania, U.S. and Kenya. A fundraising strategy is also being designed.

May 2004