HYBRID DAY - VIRTUAL & AN IN-PERSON PORTION      

VIRTUAL PORTION      9:00 am - 4:05 pm EST

Poetry & Peace
Megan McFadyen-Mungall, Vivian Ojo, Isadora Costa Caldas

9:00 - 10:00 am

It is commonly accepted that art has the power to move, and there is an established literature on the use of poetry within a psychotherapeutic context. What is less explored, and even less often tested empirically, is whether art can move people out of conflict. A growing peacebuilding literature suggests that arts-based interventions can support reconciliation by fostering meaning-making, empathy, and perspective-shifting (Bergh & Sloboda, 2010; Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies, n.d.). The Poetry & Peace Project centers on researching the role of poetry in the context of conflict resolution. Our primary research question asks, what are the conditions under which poetry opens people up to engaging in divisive issues in new ways? Our session delves into how we empirically examined the effects of exposure to poetry (versus a non-poetic audio control) on participants’ state moral elevation, state openness, and ripeness/readiness for reconciliation in the context of recalled interpersonal conflict. This project presents a nascent but compelling case that a brief exposure to poetry, delivered immediately after recalling a real conflict, can increase state moral elevation and readiness (“ripeness”) for reconciliation compared with a matched non-poetic audio control. Our session will also offer an immersive poetry experience for attendees.

Web3 Conflicts and the Mediation Opportunity: Real Disputes, Real Lessons
Jeonghoon Ha

10:10 - 11:10 am EST

In a world where Web3 projects are increasingly used to manage assets and communities, disputes are inevitable. This session offers court-connected mediators a window into Web3/blockchain conflicts: community governance battles in DAOs, token equity disputes among co-founders, crypto fraud, smart contract exploit disputes, payment stablecoin disputes, and cross-border jurisdictional conflicts. With a focus on examples (both real and hypothetical) and relevant mediation framings, this session helps mediators prepare for cases that are already emerging.

Transforming Mediation Skills to Risk Assessment and Early Intervention of Targeted Violence: Applying the Transformative Framework to Combat Hate, Extremism, and Polarization
Randy Duque, MA, KCR

11:20 am - 12:20 pm EST

The Transformative Mediation Model is often noted as one of the predominant styles of mediation, but tends to be misunderstood about its method of practice, versatility in the intervention of various types of disputes, and working with different sociocultural groups. From viewing the model as more appropriate for family or community disputes to believing it lacks the necessary structure to contain conflicts during intervention, the idea of using such an approach to address hate-related incidents or prevent a critical incident may seem unthinkable. However, by gaining a better understanding of the framework and the principles guiding its practice, it becomes clear that the Transformative model is not only well equipped to handle a wide range of interpersonal conflicts, but can be used in more extreme situations.

This session will examine the Transformative Mediation framework, its relational ideological underpinning and show how the model of practice can be applied to the prevention and early response to hate and extremism by linking it to the practice of violence risk assessment and prevention and demonstrating its application through the exploration of real-world examples.

Utilizing All of the Available Talent: New Strategies for More Representative Arbitration

J. Christopher Heagarty, Professor Homer C. La Rue,  David Allen Larson

12:30 - 1:45 pm EST

It’s no secret that today’s pool of available arbitrators often does not reflect the modern workforce. What can be done to increase choice and opportunities for those seeking arbitrators that are more representative of their customers and workers? This panel from the Ray Corollary Initiative, Inc. (RCI) will discuss three voluntary strategies for those interested in expanding selection opportunities in arbitration to utilize all of the available talent.

The Neuroscience of Parent Coordination: From Shuttle Diplomacy to Neural Safety and Self-Regulation

Rich Heller

1:55 - 2:55 pm EST

Many Parent Coordination models began with a noble intention: reduce litigation, keep children out of the middle, and help parents implement court orders. Over time, however, the dominant posture of practice has drifted toward quasi-arbitration — resolving disputes, interpreting orders, and acting as the decision-maker of last resort. While helpful in crises, this stance can inadvertently train parents to outsource problem-solving, escalate emotional threat responses, and become dependent on professional intervention rather than building collaborative capacity.

This session introduces a Neural Safety-Based Parent Coordination framework grounded in attachment theory, trauma-responsive practice, and conflict neuroscience. We explore:

→ How chronic conflict reshapes parental nervous systems and communication patterns

→ Why threat activation undermines co-parenting progress even when solutions are obvious

→Micro-interventions that down-regulate reactivity in high-heat moments

→ Practices that build self-regulation, emotional safety, and internal capability in both parents

Participants will learn how to shift from “deciding for” to facilitating transformation, making sessions safer and more effective while decreasing long-term reliance on court-mandated services. This session reframes Parent Coordination as a neuro-developmental journey, expanding the discipline toward approaches that create durable change at the nervous system level, not just temporary compliance.

Anti-Jewish, Anti-Black Hatred: Dissolving These and All Isms through Conflict Transformation

Professor Donald Proby and Jonathan Golden, PhD

3:05 - 4:05 pm EST

This is a one-hour interactive session surfacing fear, anger, hatred and violence that keeps people disconnected in various stages of conflict, disease and dis-ease. Consistent with the core of conflict theory, we will examine how scarcity-mentality drives competition and divisiveness, thus escalating already heightened acts of mental, emotional and physical violence.

Illustrative stories and case studies are shared, unpacked and explored in the spirit of Hitchadshut (rejuvenation), Yachad (shared purpose), Sankofa (Looking back just long enough to learn the lessons from our past), and Ubuntu (I am, because we are; all are connected). We share appropriate content, context and model behaviors during the session that build community across various measures of differences and cultures. Conflict transformation across multiple spectrums of our shared humanity is at the core of the session.

IN PERSON PORTION      6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST

*More information to Come*

LOCATION: AAA - Central Park

ADDRESS: 150 East 42nd St, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Separate Registration Required
(Free for ACR-GNY members; $10 for nonmembers)

SPECIAL EVENT SPONSORED BY