Learn to Deescalate & Resolve Conflict in Basic Mediation Training

Hilo, Hawai‘i – January 20, 2025 – Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center’s 2025 “Basic Mediation Training” begins Friday, February 28 in-person in Hilo. The 32-hour training spans two Fridays and Saturdays, February 28, March 1, 7, and 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break and frequent short breaks each day. The instructor is Diane Petropulos, M.A., an experienced mentor mediator, facilitator, and trainer from Maui.

“Over 4 days, learn how to deescalate and resolve conflict in peaceful, lasting ways,” said Ku‘ikahi Executive Director Julie Mitchell.

“Whether you're looking to improve your ability to manage difficult conversations or you'd like to become a volunteer mediator at Ku'ikahi, this 32-hour interactive training provides tools to transform conflict,” she added.

Learn the process of mediation, advanced communication skills, and a variety of conflict prevention and resolution techniques to help people focus on the issues, so they can see they have a joint problem to solve.

“Mediation skills can help you manage and resolve conflict, increase the peace at home and in the workplace, communicate more effectively, become a better negotiator and problem-solver, and contribute to your community,” Mitchell said.

Upon successful completion of the training, participants may apply to join Ku‘ikahi’s volunteer mediator apprenticeship program.

Diane Petropulos, M.A., is a principal in ADRinACTION, offering mediation, facilitation, and training services in mediation and workplace conflict. She has developed and conducted trainings in Hawai'i, and is a former lecturer at the master's level in the Human Resource Management Program at UH-Manoa. Petropulos has mediated hundreds of circuit, district, and small claims court cases for Maui Mediation Services, and currently sits on their Board of Directors. She serves on a panel of federal mediators handling Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and is a certified Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) mediator.

Tuition for the 4-day in-person training is $295. Group discounts and individual needs-based partial scholarships are available. To register or apply for a scholarship, contact Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center: (808) 935-7844 ext. 3 or shelby@hawaiimediation.org. The registration form is available online at https://hawaiimediation.org/training/