Peacemakers to Gather in Nashville

Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) Launches
First Annual Mediation Celebration on February 12 & 13, 2009

Nashville, TN – The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC) is hosting a two-day event, its First Annual Mediation Celebration on February 12 & 13, 2009, to raise awareness about the importance of community-based mediation and conflict resolution programs in Nashville. The premier guest speaker at the events will be international conflict expert, Dr. Mari Fitzduff from Brandeis University. Dr. Fitzduff, a native of Northern Ireland, is a renowned author, consultant on global peace processes, and director of the M.A. program in Coexistence and Conflict at Brandeis. The NCRC’s Annual Mediation Celebration will consist of three events: a public lecture at Vanderbilt Law School on February 12 at 4 p.m., a public lecture at Lipscomb University’s Institute for Conflict Management on February 13 at 1 p.m., and a dinner reception on February 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Hon. Marietta Shipley. The two university lectures will be free and open to the public; the dinner reception – a fundraiser for NCRC – will cost $35 for 1 / $60 for a pair. Photo opportunities will be available at all three events.


· Vanderbilt Law School lecture: State of the Art in International Conflict Prevention, Conflict Management, Peace Processes and Post-Conflict Resolution
Feb. 12, 4 – 6:30 p.m. at Flynn Auditorium, FREE, Reception following the talk

· Lipscomb University-Institute for Conflict Management lecture: From the Global to the Local: Lessons from Northern Ireland and Around the World on Building Peace in Tennessee – Feb. 13, 1 – 2:15 p.m., at Willard Collins Alumni Auditorium, FREE

· NCRC Fundraising Dinner Reception: War in the World Today: Beyond Winning & Losing? – Feb 13, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., at Hon. Marietta Shipley & David McMillan’s home, $35 for 1 / $60 for a pair, go to www.nashvilleconflict.org to register

The Nashville Conflict Resolution Center is a non-profit community organization that was founded by members of the Nashville Bar Association in 2000. NCRC’s mission is to provide high-quality and affordable mediation services and conflict resolution education programs to Nashville communities – empowering individuals to prevent, manage and resolve conflict without violence. By focusing the 2009 Annual Mediation Celebration on international conflict resolution issues, NCRC hopes to glean lessons from global diplomatic success in building and sustaining peace, and apply those lessons at home, in Nashville. “At a time when the global economy is facing crisis, and Middle Tennessee families are worried about their futures, NCRC can be a beacon of hope that things can and will turn around. Our First Annual Mediation Celebration will offer people strategic tools and skills to use when solving vexing problems in our society. International conflict resolution practices can motivate and inspire us to action locally,” states NCRC Executive Director Tamara Losel.



For more information and to register: www.nashvilleconflict.org or tamara@nashvilleconflict.org