Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center’s 2025 “Basic Mediation Training” begins Friday, Feb. 28, in-person in Hilo.
The 32-hour training spans two Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 28, March 1, 7 and 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 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 four days, learn how to deescalate and resolve conflict in peaceful, lasting ways,” Ku‘ikahi Executive Director Julie Mitchell said in a press release.
“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 said.
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.
Petropulos is a principal in ADRinACTION, offering mediation, facilitation and training services in mediation and workplace conflict.
She has developed and conducted trainings in Hawaii 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.
Tuition for the four-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/.