PORTLAND, MAINE | Maine and Syracuse Seeds took part in an intensive weekend negotiation and mediation course in Portland led by Harvard Law School professor Robert Bordone, who directs the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, and two Harvard law alums.
The May 6-8 training, titled “The Art of Peacebuilding: One Piece at a Time,” focused on equipping Seeds with the communication skills needed to better leverage their influence for positive change, mediate conflict, and negotiate differences in their schools and communities.
Twenty-two Maine Seeds and 6 Syracuse Seeds took part, joining over 200 Afghan, Indian, Israeli, Maine, Pakistani, Palestinian, and Syracuse Seeds who have graduated from the course in past years.
Seeds engaged in a range of simulations and exercises aimed at developing their active listening skills, and exploring the different identity components that make up conflict. The training culminated with a personal negotiation activity, which gave participants an opportunity to directly explore a conflict or difficult conversation in their life.
Working with a partner, Seeds reflected on the different, and often competing, aspects of their identities that influence the ways in which they engage with that person or conflict. This gave them an opportunity to embody their different identities and act out the conversation/conflict from multiple perspectives.
NEGOTIATION & MEDIATION TRAINING PHOTOS