History

SEEDS Community Resolution Center, a brief history...

Conciliation Forums of Oakland (CFO) opened its doors for service in 1983 in North Oakland by a group of dedicated community volunteers and later found a home in beautiful Preservation Park. For the last 20 years, in addition to providing a wide range of conflict resolution services, CFO pioneered both school-based and parent-teen mediation programs in Alameda County.

Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service(BDRS) opened its doors for service in 1988. A blue ribbon committee of the Mayor and the City Manager discovered that conflict in Berkeley had impaired civility and brought gridlock to some aspects of civic life. It recommended that the City provide initial funding requested by a group of citizens who had begun the process of founding an independent, community-based conflict resolution program. Financial support and enthusiasm from the City of Berkeley enabled BDRS to get off to a fast start. In addition to offering community mediation services, BDRS piloted city-based services in Alameda County integrating mediation processes in administrative processes for zoning/land use permits, tree-view ordinances and police-citizen complaints. BDRS also had become highly regarded and sought out for its conflict resolution skills training workshops and programs offered to individuals and organizations

In June 2003, after many years of ongoing collaboration and sharing volunteers and resources, the staff and Boards of both BDRS and CFO began a process to explore formally consolidating the operations of both organizations into East Bay Community Mediation (EBCM) by February 1, 2004.

Mediation Services began as a community mediation program in 1993 in the Eden Area of Alameda County (Hayward & Castro Valley) and expanded its services to surrounding cities in South Alameda County to also include Fremont, Union City, Newark. In addition to mediation programs for neighbors, businesses and schools, Mediation Services has long offered an expanded menu of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes, including arbitration and administrative hearing panels for public agencies. Mediation Services also successfully introduced court-based services to provide same-day

mediations for small claims litigants in the Alameda County Superior Courts in Hayward.

In Fall 2006, following the success of the merger between BDRS and CFO - East Bay Community Mediation and Mediation Services began exploring the further consolidation of staff, volunteers and programs to become an unified organization providing conflict resolution services to nearly all of Alameda County. This effort reached fruition by the end of 2007.

On the heels of this second merger, the Board and Staff decided to take on a new name and identity that would reflect the broadening of programs and services offered by our evolving organization and one that would be symbolic for the potential for growth, transformation and connections people experienced when they had opportunities to engage in effective dialogue and develop their own creative solutions to conflicts and problems that inevitably arise.

In 2008, we formally adopted the name SEEDS Community Resolution Center. With a diverse group of volunteers whom we train in communication and conflict resolution skills, SEEDS continues to mediate disputes between neighbors, friends, family, landlords and tenants, and those in business relationships and court litigation. We also provide conflict resolution counseling and consultation, referrals to other services and agencies and serve as a general resource for people wanting to learn about mediation and other ADR related issues and activities.

SEEDS continues to expand is facilitation programs - helping guide organizations and groups in their deliberation and decision-making processes, as well as convening forums and dialogues around issues and problems that have serious impacts in our neighborhoods and communities.

SEEDS continues to be respected for its high quality conflict resolution workshops as well as mediation and facilitation certificate trainings to individuals, corporations and city agencies. It is an integral part of our mission to diseminate these skills and processes as widely as possible throughout our communities.

Also in 2008, we are celebrating 25 years of community mediation in Alameda County marked by the founding of Conciliation Forums of Oakland (CFO) in 1983. With the union of these nonprofit conflict resolution programs and their shared vision and mission for sowing seeds of peace and opportunities for effective dialogue and solutions in our communities - we are poised for sustainability and growth for the next 25 years!