No nation, including our own, can escape such tests. Be they conflicts arising from police conduct, immigration issues, use of public lands, religious clashes or social issues of significant citizen division, our collective challenge is to strengthen our ability to prevent such community interactions from escalating into violence and unrelenting polarization. Another challenge is to make available avenues to deal with the heart of the issues dividing a community in tranquil times so that these divisions do not as frequently generate civil unrest and more frequently enhance understanding about and consensus on public policies and practices.
Through this project, we hope to synthesize the insights of dispute resolution interveners, advocates, and community leaders regarding the use of collaborative approaches to community division; provide counsel to local leaders based on these insights; and help local leaders translate these principles into practice in local communities throughout the nation, while at the same time working constantly to improve the counsel we provide.