SEEDS Relaunch and History

SEEDS began as East Bay Community Mediation. It represents the union of three community mediation programs in the Bay Area: 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 the Bay Area.

 

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 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 Hayward & Castro Valley, later expanding to include Fremont, Union City, and Newark. In addition to mediation programs for the community, 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 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 a unified organization providing conflict resolution services to nearly all of Alameda County. This effort reached fruition by the end of 2007.

 

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.

 

SEEDS Is Born: In 2008, we formally adopted the name SEEDS Community Resolution Center. SEEDS incorporates those founding values: Services that Encourage Effective Dialogue and Solutions.

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