History

SEEDS, formerly East Bay Community Mediation, represents the recent union of three community mediation programs in Alameda County: Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service, Conciliation Forums of Oakland, and Mediation Services covering Hayward/Castro Valley/Fremont.

Conciliation Forums of Oakland (CFO) began in 1983 as a group of dedicated North Oakland community volunteers, and later found a home in beautiful Preservation Park. In addition to providing a wide range of conflict resolution services, CFO pioneered both school-based and parent-teen mediation programs in Alameda County.

Berkeley Dispute Resolution Service (BDRS) opened its doors for service in 1988. A blue ribbon committee of the Berkeley Mayor and City Manager discovered that conflict had impaired civility and brought gridlock to some aspects of civic life. The committee recommended that the City provide initial funding to a group of citizens who had begun to develop an independent, community-based conflict resolution program. This financial support and enthusiasm from the City of Berkeley enabled BDRS to get off to a fast start. In addition to offering community mediation services, BDRS piloted city-based services in Alameda County: using mediation as an integral part of administrative processes for zoning/land use permits, tree-view ordinances and police-citizen complaints. BDRS also became highly regarded and sought out for its conflict resolution skills training workshops and programs for individuals and organizations.

The First Merger. In 2004, after many years of collaboration, the staff and Boards of BDRS and CFO formally consolidated the operations of both organizations into East Bay Community Mediation (EBCM).

Mediation Services began as a community mediation program in 1993 in the Eden Area of Alameda County (Hayward & Castro Valley), later expanding to include Fremont, Union City, and Newark. In addition to mediation programs for neighbors, businesses, and schools, Mediation Services offered an expanded menu of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes, including arbitration and administrative hearing panels for public agencies. Mediation Services also successfully introduced court-based services to provide same-day mediations for small claims litigants in the Alameda County Superior Courts in Hayward.

The Second Merger. In Fall 2006, following the success of the merger between BDRS and CFO, the new East Bay Community Mediation and Mediation Services began exploring the further consolidation of staff, volunteers, and programs to become an unified organization providing conflict resolution services to nearly all of Alameda County. This effort reached fruition by the end of 2007.

SEEDS Is Born. On the heels of this second merger, the Board and Staff decided to take on a new name and identity that would reflect the broadening of programs and services offered by our evolving organization. The new name needed to symbolize the growth, transformation, and connections people experience when they engage in effective dialogue and develop their own creative solutions to the conflicts and problems that inevitably arise in life.

In 2008, we formally adopted the name SEEDS Community Resolution Center. With a diverse group of volunteers whom we train in communication and conflict resolution skills, SEEDS continues to mediate disputes between neighbors, friends, family, landlords and tenants, and those in business relationships and court litigation. We also provide conflict resolution counseling and consultation, referrals to other services and agencies, and serve as a general resource for people wanting to learn about mediation and other ADR related issues and activities.

Expanding Facilitation Services. SEEDS continues to expand is facilitation programs, helping to guide organizations and groups in their deliberation and decision-making processes. We also convene forums and dialogues around issues and problems that have serious impacts in our neighborhoods and communities.

Workshops and Training. SEEDS offers well respected, high quality conflict resolution workshops, as well as mediation and facilitation certificate training, to individuals, corporations, and city agencies. It is an integral part of the SEEDS mission to sow these skills and processes as widely as possible throughout our communities.

Celebrating 25 Years of Service. In 2008, SEEDS celebrated 25 years of community mediation in Alameda County, beginning with the 1983 founding of Conciliation Forums of Oakland. With the union of three nonprofit conflict resolution programs, with a shared vision and mission for sowing seeds of peace in our communities, we are poised for sustainability and growth for the next 25 years.

View Part 1 of the SEEDS 25 Anniversary Video:

View Part 2 of the SEEDS 25th Anniversary video: