Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution Hosts Mediation Master Class in Switzerland

Distinguished mediators from 16 countries gathered at Pepperdine University’s Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland on October 13 to 16 for Going Global: Exploring the Frontiers and Designing the Future of Conflict Resolution. Celebrating the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution 40th anniversary, the three-day master class brought together seasoned practitioners and emerging leaders in the field to discuss how to move their skills out of the traditional mediation room to mend disputes around the world.

Schultz (left) speaking with mediators

Through discussions led by Ken Cloke and Joan Goldsmith, two internationally celebrated figures in the mediation field, participants engaged with breakthrough ways to use conflict resolution skills for international political conflicts and deep social divides. As the convener of Going Global, Selina Shultz, executive director of professional training programs at Straus, celebrates meditation as an essential vocation that integrates facilitation skills with a deep, gracious understanding of human behavior. 

“It seemed natural to kick off the celebration of the Straus Institute’s 40th year by organizing a forum where 30 great minds from around the world could be inspired by Ken Cloke and Joan Goldsmith to expand the reach and impact of this work on a global scale,” says Schulz. “Mediation elevates our thinking and allows us to make decisions connected to the highest version of ourselves.”

Amid the chateau’s sweeping views of Lake Geneva and historic vineyards, attendees also took part in thoughtful, interdisciplinary discussions on how leading thought in neuroscience and psychology can strengthen the abundantly human-to-human practice of conflict resolution. Countries represented in these discussions included attendees from the United States, Ireland, Israel, Palestine, Singapore, China,  Australia, and among others. Extending these ideas to real-world practice, Cloke and Goldsmith called for mediators to approach their work with both “audacity and humility”, that is, to boldly seek opportunities to be bearers of peace. 

To explain the powerful effects of mediation, Cloke and Goldsmith referenced the “butterfly effect” —that the flaps of small wings can have larger, positive effects downstream. As an in-house example, Danny DeWalt, senior vice president for global impact and chief of staff at Pepperdine, shared news of the ongoing partnership between Straus and the Sudreau Global Justice Institute, which has provided mediation training across 20 different African countries to strengthen their justice systems.  

Going Global welcomed time for fruiful discussion; Ken Cloke (middle)

“My biggest takeaway was that we don't have to wait for an invitation to make a difference,” says Helen Winter, assistant professor of law and practice at Straus, who is writing a forthcoming law review article on the event. “As mediators, we already have the skills to bring people together, foster understanding, and build trust. The challenge now is to put those skills to work where they are needed most and turn the inspiration from Switzerland into lasting collective action.”

Following the master class, attendees attested to being motivated to apply what they had learned to improve conflict resolution in their own communities across the world. Echoing Shultz’s sentiments, Andrea O’Neill, President of The Mediators Institute of Ireland, affirmed that the class encouraged her to “step into a higher level of thinking” by learning, listening, and exploring new ways of viewing a mediator’s role in a fractured world. Ideas shifted, assumptions were challenged, she notes, as conversations sparked initiatives for future potential collaborative projects. 

Mediators from across the world made lasting connections

“My time in Switzerland was a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when mediators come together with purpose,” O’Neill notes. “On a personal level, feeling connected to peers was invaluable; in work that can feel solitary, having a community to return to will strengthen both my practice and my sense of belonging.”

For Lee Mendelson, a Los Angeles-based mediator, the convening underscored the value of people who dedicate their professional lives to resolving conflicts. Through ideas exchanged and relationships forged, Mendelson experienced a renewed sense of optimism about mediation’s power to create meaningful change around the globe.

“Pepperdine’s Going Global master class was an incredibly inspiring opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading mediators and explore how the tools and techniques we use in our everyday practices can be applied to some of the most pressing world conflicts,” says Mendelson. “Our discussions facilitated by mediation thought leaders Ken Cloke and Joan Goldsmith along with the incredible Straus faculty highlighted the extraordinary potential of dialogue, understanding, and collaboration to bridge even the deepest divides.”

Many participants made commitments on how they plan to move the medication work forward and are committed to reconvening again next year.