When someone contacts the program with a problem, a case developer is assigned to the case and makes contact with the parties involved in the dispute. The case developer gets the basic facts and lists of concerns and works to encourage both sides to attend a mediation. Mediators serve as one member of a mediation panel.
Mediators act as facilitators of communication in a problem solving process.
Mediators do not make decisions or judgments about the worth of any case. Rather, they act as guides in helping people clearly state the nature of the problem and then in arriving at possible solutions which are mutually satisfactory to the parties involved in the dispute. Mentors are the mediation team members designated to assist new volunteers in their initial mediations. The mentor orients the new volunteer to the various aspects of a mediation, observes the new mediator during the session, and, following the session, confers with the new mediator. The mentor's goal is to identify strengths, answer questions, and address any areas of concern in regard to the new mediators skills and performance.