Interagency Council
Meeting Minutes: 10/9/14
Our next meeting will be held at the Warren County Human
Services Building. Rebecca Smith from Glens Falls Hospital Smoking Cessation
Program will be presenting about this FREE program. Kim Cook from Code Blue
will be attending to talk with us about what that program is currently in need
of. And there will be a HEAP update at the upcoming meeting as well.
Ally opened the meeting by reading our mission statement.
Community Connections Day – We are looking at making
changes, most notably in the time of year as well as venue. We discussed the
Washington County Fair, a grocery store, Walmart parking lot, Warrensburg
Garage Sale, and the Balloon Festival. It was also noted that Worlco will no
longer be a sponsor of this event. In order to address these aspects more
fully, the Community Connections Day Committee will begin meeting immediately after
the November meeting. Anyone interested in participating should plan on
staying.
The Have a Heart application is on our blog. If you are
interested in applying for your non-profit agency, please get the completed application
in by next month’s meeting.
Attendee
introductions and Agency Announcements:
Council for Prevention: The next meeting of the Suicide
Prevention Coalition is on 10/28 at 10am, at the CFP.
SAIL – has begun a new program called Community Health
Advocates (CHA), to assist people with health insurance issues. SAIL fundraiser – “Sail On” will be held on
10/24, $50/ticket. Other news – Another new program, the “Stay At Home” project,
will employ volunteers to do small at-home projects for seniors in need in
Warren and Washington Counties (though they are hoping to grow from here). An
informational session will be held at SAIL on 10/15 at 930am for those who wish
to hear more about this new program.
House of Grace –Volunteers needed. They are also having a
fundraiser on 10/18 at the Civic Center – Hockey game between the Flames and
Phantoms. $20/ticket.
Catholic Charities of Warren County – offering free
assistance for SNAP application. Call
Genny O’Brien at 424-7525 if interested in learning more.
National Grid – HEAP begins on 11/17
Hospice – raffle tickets for all expenses-paid trip for 2 to
St. Maartins. Tickets are $25. They will also be holding “Hope for the Holidays”,
a workshop on coping with loss, at the Queensbury senior center on 11/13.
Nick mentioned an opportunity for Interagency Council to
promote themselves as well as individual agencies through a possible radio show
– he will get back to us with more information.
Another point was brought up – with so many events lined up
by various organizations, we find that there are often programs being held on
the same days. We will start to compare planning calendars in order to combat
this.
Today’s Presenter –
Amy Alphonso from Mediation Matters.
Since 1979, Mediation
Matters has grown to cover a 6 county area including Albany, Rensselaer,
Schenectady, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties.
Mediation is a voluntary, private and confidential process
facilitated by a trained and impartial mediator. The mediator hosts a
conversation with two or more people in order to resolve a dispute and develop
a mutually acceptable solution. Mediations Matters is funded by the NYS Unified
Court System and has been around since 1979. Along with mediation, this center
offers conflict resolution education, teambuilding and leadership development.
Situations best suited for mediation are those in which:
-
The issue involves strong emotions
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The parties know each other
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The parties want to maintain the relationship
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One party is uncomfortable confronting the other
side
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The parties have reached an obstacle in trying
to resolve the issue
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The parties want to avoid costly legal
litigation
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The issue does not involve class action/punitive
damage
However, mediation is NOT a place
to seek legal advice or psychotherapy/counseling. It is not a court proceeding,
and perhaps most importantly, it is not a place for situations with safety
concerns, power imbalances or where there are allegations of ongoing child
abuse/neglect and/or domestic violence concerns. The staff will refer a
situation to another resource/avenue of intervention if it is deemed
inappropriate for mediation.
All mediators are volunteers and
go through a training certified by New York State (consists of 30 hours) and
have observed and participated in mediations as part of their training.
Organizations/persons wishing to use mediation through this
program may contact Mediation Matters directly. To contact the office in
Saratoga, please call 518-584-6361.
