Last two weeks, au revoir Bruxelles!

And so it ends...today is in fact my last day at the AIA office, and thus far it has proven an anticlimactic end to a semester that was anything but calm. We have a new intern at the office, a law student from the US who will be here for the summer. I have spent most of the past week training her and trying to help her ease in to this extremely unorthodox working environment that I have grown so accustomed to.

Last week was spent primarily marketing. Because our mediation training program is just around the corner, it is important that in the final stretch we get as many late registration as possible. We called international law firms, bar associations in England (where the course is taking place), as well as mediation centers in the many countries recognizing our course. The easiest part is convincing them of the unique quality of the program, which incorporates the different mediation cultures and requirements in any jurisdictions into one two-week training scheme. Still, it is quite an expensive course and many people are turned off by this.

This is quite unfortunate given that we received a lot of inquiries by young law students or recent graduates. It seems that the young generation of legal professionals is increasingly intrigued by the field of alternative dispute resolution. This trend has actually been studied, and many law schools are trying to improve their programs to incorporate more mediation and conflict resolution classes that train students to not just be good litigators, but negotiators as well. I am inspired by this, for after having spent 6 months researching conflict analysis and mediation I really believe it can be a revolutionary field if applied in the right places.

While mediation is especially big today in commercial and civil matters (simply to avoid the high costs of court proceedings), the practical approach of mediation is transferable to conflicts across the board. I recall my interview with the head of the UN mediation office, and how he explained that he and his colleagues had succesfully trained a small group of childern (6-7 years old) to mediate disputes that took place amongst their classmates on the playground! It seems rather silly, but the implications are far reaching. If young children can learn techniques to handle conflicts in their surroundings, imagine how this can be multiplied in communities around the world.

Some mediation trainers devote themselves to establishing small community mediation centers in developing countries (in sub-saharan Africa, for example). By building a non-adversarial system of dealing with conflict--from family issues to land disputes--communities that lack the presence of a police force, proper access to justice and the rule of law can build a strong social fabric from the bottom-up. In this sense, neighborhoods look after themselves and become self-sustaining. The hope is that this will create sort of rippling out effect, where community mediation centers in places around the world can passify feelings of anger and mistrust before they build off one another and turn into civil unrest, and even violence.

This is just one of the many ways scholars of conflict analysis are trying to improve the global community with alternative dispute resolution. My point is, the ever-increasing interest in the field of conflict resolution is no longer limited to experienced lawyers seeking a career change. Students, even those in fields such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology, hold a unnique niche in this field and should not be excluded from the pool of future mediators simply because they have not passed the LSAT. Mediation is one party legal, but is more about promoting understanding, cooperation, and yes...civic leadership!

(I'm glad I was able to bring that full circle).

Aside from marketing the mediation program, I have also taken it upon myself to add some structure to the future of AIA by creating an "Internship Handbook." Before, interns were expected to learn everything from their predecessor and hit the ground running when suddenly they were on their own. Having been here the longest out of any previous intern, I know that this is simply not possible (especially with all that we are involved in now). Therefore, I created the handbook which essentially guides newcomers through all the little adminstrative tasks, as well as offers advice on how they can make the best of their internship experience here. It is the kind of environment where you get what you put into it, and I tried to communicate that in the handbook. I also made turnover forms which I have advised my boss to make interns fill out before they leave. These forms outline all the projects each intern has had to work on but could not finish in their allotted time, and therefore must pass down. My hope is that this will permit interns to show up and immediately start contributing to AIA in a way that will improve the organization and bring it closer to its goals.

I have also been discussing with my boss how AIA may expand into the US. He and a partner of his have been talking a lot about opening up another office in NYC, and at the moment it is planned to happen next fall. During the discussion, I noticed I was giving many more suggestions that I imagined I would. It seems that I have developed a vested interest in the future of AIA and whether I mean to or not, I am concerned about the future of the organization. It was a great talk, and I felt as though my opinion really mattered. It even seems that there is a chance I will be involved in AIA in NYC sometime in the future, or rather it is an option should I choose to pursue it.

There is a variety of adminstrative tasks I've had to fulfill in my final days here, but that's neither here nor there. The truth is, the finale of my internship residency won't come until the beginning of August, when I fly out to the University of Warick in England to actually participate in the mediation course I have spent 6 months organizing. It is quite an amazing opportunity, as I will be taught by highly reputable mediators and my classmates will come from around the world. The course will not come easy however. This is first mediation training of it's kind. Most last 5 days and only deal with the practical aspects of mediation. This two-week intensive program covers theoretical conflict analysis, an overview of EU contract law, as well as new developments in mediation (such as online dispute resolution). I am very anxious, and a bit nervous. Having spend so much time in an office involved with research, I hope I can prove to myself that I can actually mediate. The course ends on August 14th and I fly home the 15th. Then, apparently my assistanship starts the 16th so I will fly to U of I directly the next day. (I will be a mess when I see you all next, and probably experiencing some uncomfortable reverse culture shock being back in the bubble of Champaign-Urbana).

I won't complain though. Tomorrow I leave for a mini-vacation: 3 days in Toulouse and 4 days in Barcelona. Then, I fly to Rio de Janeiro for the whole month of July where I will be the research assistant for one of my economics professors from U of I (I've spent the past month learning Portuguese to prepare).

And so with that, I thus conclude my final CLP residency blog entry. From here on out I will dedicate myself to supporting the Brazilian futbol team in the World Cup. If they win, I will be in Rio for the celebrations. Can you imagine?????

Ate logo!