Mediation Northern Ireland is governed by a Board of Trustees, whose roles include:
1. Strategic Direction – Setting and maintaining strategy with reference to the Corporate Plan, and holding the Management team to account.
2. Financial Control – Approving the annual budget, monitoring expenditure with reference to the budget and adopting annual accounts.
3. Support – Making individual skills and experience available within the Board and to the Director and senior staff.
4. Advocacy – Acting as ambassadors for the organization and supporting the Director in securing project funding.
5. Corporate Policy – Planning the strategic direction of Mediation Northern Ireland regarding its contribution to conflict intervention, good relations and social instability. Promoting the organisation and its work, and providing overall organisational management.
The current members of the Mediation NI board are:
We view mediation as a tool of nonviolence because in situations of conflict or division it serves the expression of a truth that is wider than any one perspective. Mediation is an instrument of compassion, seeking to relieve the suffering of others and treating all people as worthy of human dignity and respect.
Mediation is an impartial act and engages with all parties in the dispute with the goal of reaching acceptable agreement.
In mediation justice is served by building and maintaining "right relationships". Right Relationship is being in relationship with ourselves and all life around us. It requires awareness of what we think and what we do. It acknowledges that there is no such thing as separation – everything in our world is directly involved with us and we are involved with it. Mediation supports people to take responsibility for their thoughts, actions and relationships.
Respect is a central principle of the mediation process. Parties have the right to speak, think and decide for themselves about the conflict issues that affect them. Moreover, we believe people have the capacity to develop respect for the other parties in a conflict and, to some degree, to understand the viewpoint of the other party. Agreement is achievable when respect for the needs of all parties exists.
