Frequently Asked Questions

What will the training cover?
Where will the training be conducted?
When will each workship be scheduled?
Which communities should participate in the training?
Who should you select from your community to attend?
How much will it cost?

What Will The Training Cover?

IDRS has trained and certified Indian mediators throughout the country for the past fifteen years. Our Mediator training and certification program consists of a sequence of three separate yet related 3-day Workshops:

• Cross-Cultural Communication and Negotiation Skills and Processes

• Mediation/Peacemaking Skills and Processes, and

• Advanced Mediation Skills and Processes

Participants are required to take all three of the Workshops for certification. Please see their descriptions on the attached page. See also the attached Requirements for Mediator Certification.
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Where Will The Training Be Conducted?

All three Workshops will be conducted in what appears to be the most central location for people who have signed up to attend the training. It is likely that we will conduct this series of training in northern California, most likely in Redding.
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When Will Each Workshop Be Scheduled?

The three workshops have been tentatively scheduled in May, June and July. We are looking May 10 th, 11 th and 12 th; June 7 th, 8 th & 9 th; and July 6 th, 7 th, and 8th.
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Which Communities Should Participate In This Training?

This program is particularly well suited for those communities that are planning to develop their own tribal justice systems (e.g. tribal courts) and are intending to offer mediation/peacemaking as an optional way of resolving disputes in their community.
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Who Should You Select From Your Community To Attend?

Mediators are not judges who have the authority to make a decision on how the dispute should be resolved. Instead, mediators are specially trained to bring disputing parties together in a safe and informal setting, and to assist them resolve their own differences in a written agreement.

When you select people to be trained as mediators you should select people who have a good reputation in the community for being good listeners, can see more than one side of a problem, are fair and even handed, and are good communicators. Once you have chosen participants who possess these basic qualities, IDRS will do the rest to prepare participants in the skills, perspectives and processes of Mediation Practice.
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How Much Will It Cost?

Each participant will be asked to pay a registration fee of $650 ($1250 for non-tribal members) to cover the nine days of training. In addition, each participant will be responsible for covering his or her own travel and per diem (hotel and meals) expenses. We will try to negotiate a discounted group hotel rate.
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