Join the Mediation Movement
Become a Mediator
The Re-Entry Mediation Institute of Louisiana (REMILA) has ongoing recruitment of applicants to be professionally trained mediators for our program. Selected applicants will receive a free 50-hour professional mediation training and be compensated for mediating cases between incarcerated people and their loved ones inside of correctional facilities. Space is limited to 12-16 mediators per training cohort.
REMILA taps into the resources indigenous to the community, strengthens these connections, and allows for collaborative transition planning, involving the presently incarcerated person and their family members. Reentry mediation creates a unique opportunity for a person who is incarcerated to sit down face-to-face with a loved one in a confidential space inside a correctional facility to make a plan about their own reentry.
Selection Criteria
Applicants must be able to fulfill the following requirements and commitments:
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Live in Louisiana
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Commit to serving at least two (2) years as a mediator
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Be available and committed to mediating AT LEAST five (5) cases per year. Mediations take place throughout the week at various times. We try to schedule mediations as quickly as possible once a case is referred, so mediators must have enough flexibility to do a mediation with about 4-7 days’ notice.
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Attend the mandatory 50-hour training, which will take place over six (6) days.
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Attend at least four (4) professional development sessions throughout the year.
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Other characteristics desired in applicants include:
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Empathic communication and listening skills
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The ability to hold space for intense emotions
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The capacity to demonstrate competence, composure. and neutrality (open to hearing others’ opinions and perspectives and an ability to put aside one’s own biases)
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Comfort with constructive feedback and ability to learn a new process with patience and humility
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In assigning mediators, we seek to match the demographics of our mediators to those of the participants as much as possible, so we seek to recruit mediators with the greatest diversity and range possible of gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, education, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background.
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People with conviction histories or experience with the criminal legal system are highly encouraged to apply.
What to Expect as a Mediator
INITIAL 50-HOUR TRAINING
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REMILA has developed a comprehensive 50-hour training program, which prepares participants to mediate existing and potential conflict. Training is interactive and hands-on and includes a strong focus on role-playing and coaching to develop the mediators’ skills. The sixteen selected mediators will first attend the mandatory 50-hour training, in which they will become trained in all aspects of the program, our model of mediation, and how to mediate a case from start to finish. The training is facilitated by Tracee Ford, one of the country’s top mediation trainers, who serves as Director of Quality Development at Community Mediation Maryland and has more than 20 years of experience as a mediator and facilitator. REMILA offers the training at no charge to ensure that our mediators reflect the community’s diversity with regard to age, race, income, education, gender, and ethnicity.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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In-service mediation training is provided every month, in which mediators develop and practice their skills through role-playing, skill-building activities, debriefing challenges, and discussing successes from their cases. REMILA provides feedback and support to mediators on an ongoing basis.
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COMPENSATION
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Mediators will be compensated $100 per two-hour mediation session, $15/hour for orientation and intake sessions, and reimbursed for travel/mileage expenses.
CONTACT
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For any questions, please contact REMILA's Mediation Coordinator Karron Williams at MediationCoordinator@ReEntryMediation.org
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APPLY
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Selection is highly competitive. Join our mailing list to be notified as soon as applications open annually.
Volunteer as an Intern
Please email your resume, statement of interest or cover letter, and contact information for two references to: