The post International peace builder speaks in Park City on resolving conflict appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

By Leslie Thatcher for KPCW (May. 28, 2025)

Mediator and author Chad Ford and Mountain Mediation Programs Director Kris Campbell detail Ford’s visit focused on understanding conflict and how to turn it into meaningful connection.

Ford, who has worked in conflicts globally, including the Israeli-Palestinian issue, emphasizes the importance of grassroots peace building. His talk, titled “The Courage to Listen: Turning Conflict into Collaboration,” will focus on overcoming fear and assumptions in conflict resolution.

—

Click here to listen to Chad & Kris’ interview on the KPCW website.

The post Turning conflict into collaboration appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

By Heather Bergeson for TownLift (May 23, 2025)

PARK CITY, Utah – Renowned peacebuilder and conflict resolution expert, Chad Ford will join Mountain Mediation for an evening of insights and discussion. “The Courage to Listen: Turning Conflict into Collaboration” will be held on June 1 at 6 p.m. at the Eccles Center in Park City. Organizers hope the event will help participants understand how different conflict styles can help people transform conflicts into collaborations within the local community.

Ford is the author of “Dangerous Love: Transforming Fear and Conflict at Home, at Work and in the World.” He is slated to share “real-world experiences and practical strategies from his work resolving large-scale ethnic and religious conflicts around the globe,” according to Mountain Mediation.

Attendees will learn about strategies for effective conflict communication, insights into navigating different conflict styles, collaboration techniques, and practical skills for personal and professional relationships. Following the talk, there will be a Q&A session where participants can interact with Ford.

Mountain Mediation’s mission is to bring people together to prevent conflict, resolve disputes, and improve communication for a more inclusive community. The nonprofit provides mediation services, landlord/tenant education, communication training, and community conversations.

—

Click here to read this article on the TownLift website.

The post Conflict resolution expert joins Mountain Mediation for upcoming event appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

By Laura Modena for TownLift (Oct. 14, 2024)

PARK CITY, Utah — Mountain Mediation Center will host its second free “Let’s Talk” community communication training of the year on Oct. 18, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the McGrath Mountain Center in Park City. Register Here

The program, which originated as a Park City Leadership Class 29 project in Oct. 2023, aims to improve connection and enhance community through better communication skills.

Nicole Wozniak of Mountain Mediation Center said, “We’ve held multiple Let’s Talk sessions since then, bringing the community together to boost their skills to remain composed, listen effectively, find common ground, and connect with others.”

The training covers four modules: Self-Awareness, Listening, Finding Common Ground, and Communicating to Connect. Two trainers lead the interactive sessions, guiding participants through practical exercises.

“Mountain Mediation is committed to providing residents of the Wasatch Back with the skills and resources to feel confident and composed during difficult conversations and in moments of conflict,” Wozniak added.

The free training is made possible by a grant from Park City Rotary. Mountain Mediation invites potential sponsors and organizations interested in hosting team trainings to contact them for more information.

The event will take place at 1431 Lowell Ave, Park City, UT 84060. Registration is required.

—

Click here to read this article on the TownLift website

The post Mountain Mediation’s ‘Let’s Talk’ program tackles difficult conversations through free training appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

By Scott Iwasaki for the Park Record (September 3, 2024)

Mountain Mediation Center’s mission is “bringing people together to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and improve communication for a more inclusive community,” said Nicole Wozniak, the nonprofit’s communications and event coordinator.

The nonprofit does this by providing mediation services, landlord and tenant education, communication training and community conversations.

Mountain Mediation Center is known for the following pillars:

• Improving our community’s communications skills with its Let’s Talk trainings and Community Conversations
• Preventing eviction and homelessness by helping landlords and tenants communicate together and through tenant education
• Mediating conflicts on a sliding scale, including domestic mediations that create better outcomes for couples going through divorce and ensure positive outcomes for their children

It also makes sure that these programs and training sessions are affordable to individuals, organizations, schools and businesses in Summit and Wasatch counties, Wozniak said.

“We are providing access to justice on free and sliding scales,” she said.

In order to continue this, Mountain Mediation Center will host its second annual Pizza at the Pendry! Fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at Disco Pizza in the Pendry Hotel at Canyons Village. Tickets can be purchased at mountainmediationcenter.org/events.

“There will be lots of pizza and a lot of good company and conversations,” Wozniak said. “There will also be information about the needs facing our community and how Mountain Mediation is innovating to address those issues.”

“So, this will be a great opportunity for those who don’t know about us to learn about us, and for people of may have attended last year or who have supported us in the past, this will be a great refresher and update of the things we’ve been doing over the past year,” she said.

The night will also include a silent auction and opportunity drawing, according to Wozniak.

Items include ski tickets, gift cards to local restaurants and free popcorn passes to Park City Film.

“We are also auctioning off an Egyptian Theatre Pharaoh membership and more to be announced,” she said, noting that the opportunity drawing’s grand prize will also be announced soon.

Opportunity drawing tickets can also be purchased online, and ticket holders don’t have to be present to win, Wozniak said.

“Obviously we would love to see them at the event, but if they want to support MMC and can’t attend, they can still buy tickets,” she said. “Also, the silent auction will be live digitally on our website.”

Wozniak is grateful for the support of local businesses and organizations who have donated items for the auction and drawing.

“To see support from our community is so impactful to us,” she said. “We’re such a small organization with only four staff members and a fantastic team of volunteer mediators and volunteers who run our training. So, we really appreciate the support.”

Wozniak is also thankful for Mountain Mediation Center’s partnership with the Pendry Hotel.

“They supported us with our first fundraiser last year, and this is a fantastic and great partnership,” she said. “Disco Pizza is an intimate space but still has room for many people to come and gather and learn more about Mountain Mediation Center.”

Mountain Mediation Center is on track to assist 1,500 people this year through community outreach, mediations, communication trainings and community conversations, Wozniak said.

“A lot of our work is building relationships by tabling events and showcasing what we have to offer and getting people educated about their rights,” she said. “The current climate is very divisive, and I think now, more than ever, it’s important to give people skills to effectively communicate with each other. So, holding trainings allows people to improve their communications skills and offers the opportunity to prevent conflict before it occurs. It’s also important to remember that court is expensive and time consuming.”

Mediation also gives people an opportunity to listen, Wozniak said.

“We provide a basis for people to consider and understand different perspectives a little better, rather than have them go into a situation and not engage,” she said. “All voices are valuable and deserve a space where they can communicate effectively, rather than just avoiding conversations we don’t want to have.”

Mountain Mediation Center’s Pizza at the Pendry! Fundraiser

• When: 5-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 13
• Where: Disco Pizza at the Pendry Hotel at Canyons Village
• Registration: mountainmediationcenter.org/events
• Web: mountainmediationcenter.org

The post Mountain Mediation Center serves up Pizza at the Pendry! appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Mountain Mediation Center is a local nonprofit organization that works to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and improve communication along the Wasatch Back. An upcoming fundraiser will help further that work.

The post Pizza at the Pendry supports mission of Mountain Mediation Center appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Mountain Mediation Center Executive Director Gretchen Lee has details on how they improve communication between landlord and tenant disputes and she also previews their upcoming fundraiser.

Click here to listen to the on-air KPCW segment

(August 13, 2024)

The post Mountain Mediation Center improves communication between landlord and tenant disputes appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Megan Fleming Hytjan for PCCF (July 10, 2024)

Park City, Utah (Wednesday, July 10, 2024) – Park City Community Foundation announced today that the winner of its 2024 Women’s Giving Fund grant is The People’s Health Clinic. Members of Women’s Giving Fund voted between three local organizations for the annual high-impact grant, and The People’s Health Clinic was selected to receive this year’s grant of $75,000. The other two finalists, Mountain Mediation Center and Summit Community Gardens + EATS, each received $25,000.

In total, a record amount of $125,000 was awarded to the three finalists at the annual Women’s Giving Fund Grant Celebration, an increase from the $100,000 that was granted last year.

After the winner was announced, an anonymous donor, who was moved by the power of collective giving, came forward and offered an additional $50,000 match to support each of the runner up organizations ($25,000 each). Every donation made to the Women’s Giving Fund between now and July 31, 2024 will be matched with a donation to Summit Community Gardens + EATS and Mountain Mediation Center. Thank you to this generous donor for supporting Women’s Giving Fund and our grantees.

“Thanks to our 2,200 women+ members who are dedicated to supporting local women and children, we have been able to increase the grant amount every year,” said Rebecca Blanchette, Member Services Manager at Park City Community Foundation. “We are humbled by how much Women’s Giving Fund has grown in the past few years, and we have big dreams for what this powerful group will accomplish.”

This is the Women’s Giving Fund tenth year of giving. As an initiative of Park City Community Foundation, Women’s Giving Fund has worked to benefit the lives of women+ and children in Park City and Summit County since its inception. The group includes over 2,200 local women, girls, non-binary, and gender-fluid individuals. Group members meet throughout the year and have collectively granted $508,000 since 2015.

The People’s Health Clinic will use the $75,000 grant to provide urgent reproductive health needs for uninsured community members and improve health outcomes for vulnerable women and children. The organization will do this through family planning education, contraception access, prenatal care, and postpartum support. The organization also received the Women’s Giving Fund annual grant in 2019.

“Each year, our Women’s Giving Fund Steering Committee has the privilege and very difficult task of selecting the finalists. This year we had 22 organizations apply, three amazing finalists, and our members voted to decide who would ultimately receive the high-impact grant,” said Anna Frachou, Chair of the Women’s Giving Fund Steering Committee. “These nonprofits are addressing critical needs in our community and making a tremendous impact locally. We are proud to bring together a powerful group of women+ to support such important organizations.”

Previous organizations that have received funds from Women’s Giving Fund include PC Tots, The Hope Alliance, Jewish Family Service, Peace House, Holy Cross Ministries, and others.

Park City Community Foundation hosted a Grant Celebration at Red Pine Lodge for its Women’s Giving Fund members on July 10, where members celebrated ten years of impact and announced the winner. The event sponsor was Park City Mountain Resort, supported through Vail Resorts EpicPromise, and over 300 women+ attended.

Women’s Giving Fund is an initiative of Park City Community Foundation that includes 2,200 members who make high-impact grants to help local women+ and children in need. Women become members for life by making a $1,000 contribution to the fund, which is endowed by the Community Foundation and provides grants to local nonprofits from its earnings in perpetuity. Women can also nominate someone to receive an honorary membership. Learn more about Park City Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Fund or become a member at https://parkcitycf.org/womensgivingfund.

—

Click here to read this article on the PCCF website

The post Women’s Giving Fund Names Its 2024 High-Impact Grantee appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Leslie Thatcher for KPCW (July 4, 2024)

The post Women’s Giving Fund members to select $75k grant recipient appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Megan Fleming Hytjan for PCCF (June 24, 2024)

Park City Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Fund is Granting Out $125,000 and Members Can Vote for the Winner Until July 8 

Park City, Utah (Monday, June 24, 2024) – Park City Community Foundation is proud to announce the three finalists for its annual Women’s Giving Fund grant. The 2024 finalists include People’s Health Clinic, Mountain Mediation Center, and Summit Community Gardens + EATS. 

The finalists will be awarded a total of $125,000 at the annual Grant Celebration on July 10, with one organization getting the high-impact grant and the other two receiving smaller gifts. Women’s Giving Fund members are asked to cast their vote for the high-impact grant now through July 8, 2024.  

Since its inception, Park City Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Fund has worked to benefit the lives of women+ and children in Park City and Summit County. The group includes over 2,100 local women, girls, and those who identify as women. Members meet throughout the year at various gatherings and have collectively granted $383,000 to make a positive difference in the community. The annual grant amount has continued to grow over the Women’s Giving Fund’s ten-year history. This year’s total of $125,000 is the most the group has ever given out, increasing its impact by $25,000 from last year.  

“We are thrilled to have three wonderful nonprofits offering critical support to women+ and children in Summit County,” said Anna Frachou, Women’s Giving Fund Steering Committee Chair. “In the United States, the Women & Girls Index has shown that only 2% of charitable giving goes to organizations focused on women and girls. We know the generative and positive benefits of uplifting women, and we are grateful for the opportunity to amplify the impact of these great organizations with the collective funds from many passionate local women+.” 

The 2024 grant finalists have submitted proposals that will positively impact woman and children. If selected for the high-impact grant, each of the finalists has proposed a project: 

• People’s Health Clinic will provide urgent reproductive health needs for uninsured community members and improve health outcomes for vulnerable women and children through family planning education, contraception access, prenatal care, and postpartum support. 

• Mountain Mediation Center will provide low-income families with services to navigate housing stability and family conflicts. This will happen through landlord/tenant and domestic mediation programs that prevent eviction and homelessness and provide a path forward for women facing divorce. 

• Summit Community Gardens + EATS will instill lifelong healthy eating habits and provide 1-2 servings of fruits and vegetables to more than 2,000 local school-aged children through hands-on cooking, nutrition, and gardening programs. 

Members can vote and learn about each of the finalist’s grant proposals at https://parkcitycf.org/votewgf/. Voting will close on July 8, and the high-impact grantee will be announced at the annual grant celebration on July 10 at Red Pine Lodge at The Canyons. Park City Community Foundation thanks Park City Mountain supported though Vail Resorts EpicPromise for sponsoring the event. 

Additionally, the three finalists will be at the monthly Women’s Giving Fund coffee meet-up to answer questions on Thursday, June 27, 9:30am at Lucky Ones in the Park City Library.  

Women’s Giving Fund is an initiative of Park City Community Foundation that includes nearly 2,200 members who make high-impact grants to help local women and children in need. Women become members for life by making a one-time $1,000 contribution to the fund, which is endowed by the Community Foundation and provides grants to local nonprofits from its earnings in perpetuity. Learn more about Park City Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Fund or become a member at https://parkcitycf.org/womensgivingfund 

About Park City Community Foundation – The Community Foundation plays a vital role in solving the most challenging problems in Park City. We care for and invest in our people, place, and culture by bringing together local nonprofits, donors, and community leaders to contribute financial resources and innovative ideas to benefit all the people of Park City—now and in the future. As the home of Live PC Give PC, Women’s Giving Fund, Youth United, Zero Food Waste, and other important initiatives, the Community Foundation has brought millions of dollars to the greater Park City community and Summit County. Learn more about donating, volunteering, fundraising and getting involved at parkcitycf.org. 

—

Click here to read this article on the PCCF website

The post Women’s Giving Fund Announces 2024 Grant Finalists appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.