The Future of Mediation: Teens and Technology

In my opinion the future of mediation is based on two pillars: teenagers and the use of new technologies.
First, if we talk about the very near future, 20 or 30 years, adolescents / young people today will be the users of the methods of alternative dispute resolution. They are the ones who in 20 or 30 years will have problems with their neighbors because of an annoying water drop from the air conditioning; they are the ones who will get married and get divorced; they are the ones who will constitute societies and will have differences with their suppliers, customers or partners; and they will also be those who will go on vacation and will have problems caused by delayed or missed flights or for losing their luggage.

And to solve all these conflicts, the teens / young people of today, adults of tomorrow will rely on technological elements that complement the daily life of every day of their lives. Therefore, I consider it very important that we, who are the ones  dedicated to spreading the field of mediation, can approach these teens / young  through education in high schools and universities so that they internalize the use of mediation as the first form to solve a conflict. That is, when face with a dispute over any subject, do not think as a first choice "I will sue the other party" but have as a first reaction the thought "I will go to mediation." To achieve this goal they should have all the knowledge necessary about mediation procedures, advantages not only in terms of costs but also those benefits arising from the possibility of improving personal relationships and communication with the other party of the dispute.

In conclusion, my proposal for the Future of Mediation is to focus on the dissemination of Mediation among adolescents / youth through education and develop as soon as we can new technologies applied to the resolution of conflicts, taking into account the progress that these technologies will have on the daily lives of people in the future.

                       

Sandra Untrojb

Sandra M. Untrojb is a public accountant ( U.B.A ) and a mediator with the Mediation Center Professional Council of Economic Sciences of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Sandra Untrojb es un  Mediadora – Escuela de Mediación y Arbitraje- Centro de Mediación del Consejo Profesional de Ciencias Económicas de la… MORE >