Collaborative Community Engagement
In close consultation with faculty and subject-matter experts associated with the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), the Conflict Management Center (CMC) assists community organizations with the development and execution of collaborative, community-oriented, projects and processes.
CMC and PARCC officials consult with organization representatives to assess the organization’s desired outcomes and potential process and procedure designs. Once a mutually agreed-upon plan is established, the CMC can assist in training your organization’s representatives in successfully carrying it out, even providing supervision or coaching at associated events if desired.
Northside UP Green Train
The Northside Urban Partnership (Northside UP) is a nonprofit focused on neighborhood revitalization and development. Their Green Train program is a hands-on workforce training program providing a combination of vocational training as well as life skills and job readiness coaching.
The CMC facilitated a workshop based on managing conflict in the workplace. Participants discovered key concepts of interpersonal conflict and conflict styles that will help them more effectively manage the emotional component of conflict. They were trained to understand how to handle high energy and emotion using reflective listening and how to avoid high-risk responses.
Onondaga Earth Corps
The Onondaga Earth Corps’ (OEC) mission is to empower youth to be active participants in creating positive change for their communities and the environment, accomplished by bringing youth to the forefront of creating livable, sustainable communities through service, social enterprise and outreach.
The OEC models itself on the highly successful and effective Youth Conservation Corps model that has been in operation throughout the United States since the 1930s to address critical environmental and human service needs. The CMC facilitated a workshop on the basics of conflict management and reflective listening to OEC participants in their early 20s.
Syracuse City School District Participatory Budgeting
Most recently, the CMC assisted seven elementary, middle, and high schools in the Syracuse City School district to determine how to allocate $5,000 in grants based on student and parent feedback. The CMC assisted in the design of the process, trained and provided over 20 group facilitators, and assisted in collecting data and writing the summary.
Research Forum on ‘Combatting Misinformation and Scams in Communities of Color’
In spring 2023, discussion facilitators, trained by the CMC, assisted Greg Munno, associate professor at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications,. with his research. Through facilitated community forums, local residents shared their experiences with digital misinformation and scams, and facilitators solicited ideas on how to effectively counter this phenomenon.
CMC Annual Workshop Series
The CMC is pleased to announce our Annual Workshop Series, offering interactive sessions to help refine your skills in navigating conflict and enabling collaboration. Attendees participate in small group discussions and hands-on training scenarios to practice new tools.
The CMC designs these workshops to provide applicable skills for improving workplace relationships and personal interactions. Topics include Basic Conflict Management Skills to learn pragmatic approaches for addressing disagreements; Group Facilitation to gain techniques for guiding team conversations with positivity; Salary Negotiation with a Focus for Women to build negotiation confidence and strategy; and Mediation to understand the structured process for resolving disputes.
Join us this year to invest in yourself and make progress in managing conflict and collaboration. Our interactive format develops useful and lasting skills for the workplace and beyond. Please check our events tracker at the bottom of this page for future workshops; or email Tara Slater to be added to the PARCC and CMC listservs, where these workshops are regularly announced.
Conflict Management and Collaboration Microcredential
As of the 2023-24 academic year, the CMC is excited to offer a PARCC- and Maxwell School -endorsed digital badge. Anyone who has attended three of the CMC’s participatory workshops in -full is eligible to receive this microcredential and be provided with a Syracuse University digital badge to post on their LinkedIn profile.
This digital badge communicates that, through our CMC workshops, you have acquired a better understanding of conflict tendencies, demonstrated an ability to assess and understand a range of conflict-related scenarios, and developed some of the basic skills required to intervene in conflicts and transform them into more constructive and collaborative engagements.
Organizational Trainings
Familiarity with various conflict management skills is essential to cultivating a collaborative, respectful, and efficient organizational culture. In addition to more prolonged and in-depth engagements with community partners, the CMC offers a variety of training and workshops for organizations looking to develop and refine their conflict management and collaboration skills.
In recent years, the CMC has assisted resident advisors, at both Syracuse University and nearby Le Moyne College, adapting our interactive workshop curriculum to their specific organizational contexts and goals. If you are interested in having the Conflict Management Center lead a workshop at your organization, please reach out directly to the director of the Conflict Management Center.
Managing Change at the Grass Roots of the Middle East: A Panel Discussion with the Near East Foundation
220 Eggers Hall, Strasser Legacy Room
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Panelists will discuss NEF’s work on the ground with refugee, displaced, and other conflict-affected populations to develop sustainable solutions to local development challenges, and create opportunities from within. Moderated by Peter Castro, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Robert D. McClure Professor of Teaching Excellence.
Panel Members are:
Dr. Charles Benjamin / PRESIDENT: Dr. Benjamin has over twenty-five years of experience in international development, with extensive experience in community development and natural resources management throughout the Middle East and Africa. He began his affiliation with the Near East Foundation in 1993 as Country Director in Morocco. Before joining NEF he spent several years in Morocco as a Fulbright Scholar and as a Peace Corps Volunteer. After leaving Morocco, Dr. Benjamin was Senior Manager for a large international development consulting firm based in Washington DC and a Professor of International Environment Issues and Development at Williams College in Williamstown (MA). Dr. Benjamin became NEF’s President in 2010. Under Dr. Benjamin’s leadership, NEF has seen steady growth. Dr. Benjamin holds a PhD from the University of Michigan with a focus on decentralization and local institutional development in West Africa. He is a published author in the areas of natural resource management and policy.
Salah Abu-Eisheh / COUNTRY DIRECTOR, PALESTINE, AND REGIONAL PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST: Mr. Abu-Eisheh joined the Near East Foundation in 2004 as Project Manager. Since 2010 he has served as NEF’s Palestine Country Director and Regional Advisor. Prior to joining the Near East Foundation, Mr. Abu-Eisheh worked as Program Coordinator for the Land-O-Lakes Foundation and as Technical Supervisor for the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture-Veterinary Services. A native of Nablus, Mr. Abu-Eisheh holds an undergraduate degree in agriculture and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from An-Najah National University in Nablus.
Mireille Dika, Deputy Country Director, Lebanon: Ms. Mireille Dika joined the Near East Foundation in 2016 as Deputy Country Director in Lebanon, where she currently oversees all programs for NEF's Lebanon office. Prior to working at NEF, Ms. Dika spent the past decade working for INGOs. She served as the Country Director at Solidar Suisse-Lebanon, Head of Mission for Lebanon and Syria at Relief International, and Program Manager at International Relief and Development, Lebanon. Ms. Dika graduated from Lebanese University with a degree in English and Architecture, where she first developed her passion for humanitarian and social work.
If you require accommodations, please contact Deborah Toole by email at datoole@syr.edu or by phone at 315.443.2367.
Sponsored by the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration
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