Happy Holidays from SEEDS

Dear Friend,

This year's economic downturn has presented many opportunities for SEEDS Community Resolution Center to contribute to the greater well-being of Alameda County residents. With an uncertain economic and global environment come increased conflict and tension. You or someone close to you may have experienced conflict or been involved in a complicated dispute recently. SEEDS is here to help, providing affordable community and court mediation, support, and conflict skills training. In 2009, SEEDS served more than 2300 clients, guiding each client to a more peaceful way of resolving disagreements.


SEEDS Community Resolution Center is firmly rooted in helping to meet the needs of people in conflict and distress in Alameda County. SEEDS services encourage effective dialogue and foster solutions to a wide range of issues that arise in our communities, from reducing violence in our schools, to resolving complex workplace conflicts, to helping neighbors resolve a disagreement.


I would like to share some of our strategic plan and vision for 2010 and ask for your financial support so SEEDS can continue to seek out and seize opportunities to facilitate peaceful resolutions in Alameda County.


One of the primary themes of our 2010 strategic plan is to significantly expand the level of programs and services that integrate restorative principles and practices. Restorative Justice is a natural extension of our conflict resolution services in cultivating common ground among victims, offenders, families and community members. We've made great strides towards this objective by securing a grant from the Safeway Foundation to underwrite the training of a group of 15-20 volunteers in the Restorative Justice methodology in early 2010.


With trained Restorative Justice practitioners in place, SEEDS will take on additional cases for the restitution circle program we are piloting at the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. SEEDS has already been approached by several other court partners and community based organizations to start pilot programs with them as well!


Our 2010 strategic plan also includes a goal to increase the number of our community mediations and conflict resolution skills training services. SEEDS has strong partnerships with courts, schools, and other community-based agencies to deliver much needed services to their constituencies. SEEDS is currently working with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to resolve conflicts among faculty and staff as well as to train them to diffuse and prevent future conflict. We provided faculty and staff with a two-day Conflict Resolution Skills Workshop in early 2009 and currently have volunteer mediators working in the schools with teachers and students on constructive dialogue practices and peaceful conflict resolution. SEEDS has been asked to continue this collaboration with OUSD in 2010 and will continue to provide training, mediation, and integrative restorative practices in the schools.


To realize our strategic plan and its positive impact in our community, SEEDS needs your support today.


Your support will allow us to include Restorative Justice methodologies in our menu of conflict resolution services.

Your support will allow us to deliver more conflict resolution skills trainings to under-served communities in Alameda County.

Your support will allow us to train additional mediators to tackle difficult issues in our community, such as youth violence, racial tension, custody disputes and landlord/tenant issues.

Your support will allow us to improve the quality of our services by providing complimentary training and seminars for our volunteer mediators, coaches, and trainers.

Your support allows us to offer all of our services on a sliding scale, so that no one is turned away for inability to pay.


With your support, SEEDS can continue to cultivate common ground and sow peace in homes, neighborhoods and schools throughout Alameda County.


Please make a donation today in the envelope provided or by credit card on our website at

www.seedscrc.org/support.php.


Thank you and Happy New Year!


Sincerely,


SEEDS Staff


Peace cannot be achieved through violence – it can only be attained through understanding

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson