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Article by Michele Roepke for Town Lift (July 12, 2024)

PARK CITY, Utah — The Mountain Mediation Center for Restorative Justice (MMC) and Utah State University Extension’s Park City Swaner Nature Preserve and Ecocenter will host Nurturing Nature, a talk about how your beliefs, values, experiences, or religion shape your role in caring for nature.

The event will take place on Thursday, July 25, from 6-7:30 p.m., and is intended to be a community conversation on weaving personal values into environmental stewardship.

Register for the event or donate to the nonprofit here. Kris Campbell, MMC program director told TownLift, “We ask people to register so we can plan appropriately. The event is free to attend.”

For several years, MMC has hosted an ongoing series of live and virtual bilingual community conversations. The aim is to foster new relationships, share perspectives, and build a stronger sense of shared community.The community conversations are modeled after restorative community-building circles. Participants meet in small groups, each accompanied by a Spanish-language interpreter. An MMC volunteer trained in restorative justice practices facilitates the discussion, enabling everyone to listen and to share their experiences and insights.

Some conversations are preceded by a brief panel discussion to provide background information and current research/data to help frame the discussion. However, in these community conversations, there are no “experts.” Each participant’s lived experience has equal value and adds to the richness and diversity of the discussion.

The Circle is a fundamental form in the practice of restorative justice. It is rooted in the ancient tradition of sitting together around the warmth and safety of a fire to share food, stories and enjoy each other’s company.“In dominant Western culture, we often organize ourselves in rows, facing the leader of a meeting, presentation or class. The Circle, in which everyone sits facing one another in a position of equal authority, is by its nature more inclusive and more conducive to relationship-building,” said a statement from the MMC.

“Restorative Justice Circles are highly structured, intentional spaces in which people share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings,” said a statement from the MMC. “They require active listening and promote the development of understanding and empathy for the purpose of community building, collaborative problem solving, resolving conflicts and repairing harm.”

MMC offers its services to individuals, organizations, schools, and businesses primarily within Summit and Wasatch Counties.MMC strives to be a safe and non-judgmental environment for people who are experiencing a conflict with family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or within organizations. They offer our services at reduced fees for clients with financial needs.

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Click here to read this article on the Town Lift website

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Article by Emma Ratkovic for Town Lift (July 27, 2022)

PARK CITY, Utah — On Monday, July 18, Mountain Meditation Center hosted its monthly community conversation, where different topics are brought up in a 90-minute discussion.

July’s topic was climate change. Organizers, speakers, and local community members met at Swaner Ecocenter to explore how climate change affects local communities and how community members react to these changes. Participants included Recycle Utah, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the former mayor of Oakley, Youth plaintiff of Our Children’s Trust’s Utah State Climate Lawsuit, and Summit Land Conservancy.

2022 high school graduate, Lola Maldonado, was one of seven youth from Utah who filed a climate lawsuit against the state of Utah in Natalie R. v. State of Utah. She discusses how young people can get involved in their local communities’ environmental efforts.

“Take the first step to get involved with your school’s environmental club. If you don’t have that as a possibility, do research, and educate yourself as best as you can. Connect yourself with people from different backgrounds and learn their perspectives on climate change,” shared Maldonado.

Participants had the opportunity to gather in smaller groups to discuss the issue of climate change in Park City and surrounding areas. People of all different backgrounds and ages discussed what sparked their interest in environmental change and what motivates them to give back to their local communities. Conversations are to remain confidential.

One participant noted how happy she was that everyone got to share their perspectives in an open conversation versus escalation into an argument. She encourages others to try to get involved in their local environmental organizations.

The organizers were pleased with the outcome, with one commenting, “I was really excited for where we had it, and who showed up, and how many people showed up.”

Mediator, Deborah McGraw, was especially happy with the outcome of the event saying.

“It was wonderful to see how many members of our community came to learn more about their neighbors by participating in MMC’s Community Building Conversation about Climate Change. To openly and easily listen and be heard around such a hot-button issue without argument or positioning was refreshing and so uplifting. Our panelists each brought a unique and informed viewpoint,” McGraw said. “We enjoyed the company of high school students, long-time residents of the area, newcomers, and members of the not-for-profit community.”

The next community conversation will be about Utah potentially hosting the Olympics following a recent bid that has been submitted. The conversation will give local community members the opportunity to listen and discuss the impacts of another Utah Olympics. The discussion will take place in September and be held in Summit County, Park City, Coalville, Kamas, as well as virtually.

More information about the upcoming meeting will be released sooner to the date. Check the Community Conversations site for updates.

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Click here to read this article on the Town Lift website

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Click here to listen to the on-air segment.

(July 14, 2022)

The post MMC Community Conversations Return appeared first on Mountain Mediation Center.

Article by Town Lift (July 12, 2022)

PARK CITY, Utah — Mountain Mediation Center (MMC) invites the public to join a Community Conversation that will explore how climate change is affecting that Park City community and how we react to it. Participants will have the opportunity to share their views on this issue and listen to the concerns of others – all perspectives are welcome. A range of resources will speak briefly about their ongoing environmental initiatives and participate in the small group conversations, including representatives from Recycle Utah and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Doug Evans, the former mayor of Oakley, and Lola Maldonado, a youth plaintiff of the “Our Children’s Trust” climate lawsuit against the state of Utah, will also share insights.

The conversation is bilingual (English/Spanish) and will take place on July 18th from 5:30-7PM at Swaner EcoCenter. Interested participants can RSVP at: mountainmediation.center/community-conversations.htm.

MMC’s mission is to prevent and resolve conflicts and to use the opportunity of conflict to promote transformation/change. The ongoing Community Conversations program grew from the community’s desire to be more inclusive and to address inequities – inequities that create conflict. By providing a forum for sharing experiences and ideas with a more diverse array of community members, it is possible to surface new ways of addressing issues while bringing the community closer together.

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Click here to read this article on the Town Lift website

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