In one of my classes, I learned about conferencing, which is a way of handling conflict. Conferencing is where everyone immediately affected by a situation gets together to discuss an issue. There are many options for restorative ways of dealing with conflict, but I think this model fits our house best because of its relatively informal format.
What makes conferencing different from a regular meeting is the following:
1) One by one, everyone gets a chance (and must) talk about how a situation/conflict has personally affected them (emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally).
2) Everyone else respectfully hears out and listens to each person's point of view without interruption.
3) After everyone has been given a chance to speak, discussion begins about how things can be set right.
4) Nobody is allowed to dominate the conversation. There is no "leader" but everyone is responsible for making sure everyone else respectfully listens to and takes seriously everyone else's point of view.
5) The solution is reached by collaboration. Everyone must agree to it.
6) This only works if people voluntarily go through this process. If anyone has a bad attitude going in, the process is hindered significantly.
7) IF a solution is reached, there is a celebration afterwards.
We haven't tried this yet, but my hope is that we will, because I feel as though it has the potential of being a peace-building tool within our home.
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