The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is honored to partner with Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Disaster Faith Network and present: De-Escalation Techniques and Strategies for Houses of Worship, the latest training session in our Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence initiative. This session will take place on July 11th, 2023 from 9 AM-12 PM and will be held at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship Church (425 W Montgomery Crossroads, Savannah Georgia). This event is free and in-person, but RSVPs are required. (RSVP Here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ejsd4e7z1a1d9703&oseq=&c=&ch= )

This training, led by Senior Manager of Community Programs, Dan Rowe, and CEMA’s Emergency Preparedness Manager, Chelsea Sawyer, will focus on implementing de-escalation techniques in faith-based organizations. The training will also cover safety planning, trauma-informed dialogue, and identifying individuals at risk of volatile escalation. The Mediation Center and CEMA will also provide a brief overview of their services so that both organizations can continue supporting Chatham County’s faith community.

“As conflict professionals, we can teach the community the skills and perspectives needed to change the outcomes of dangerous and unstable interactions with the potential for violence. The Mediation Center hopes to decrease violent incidents by increasing the number of people trained to de-escalate conflict," stated Dan Rowe.

Coastal Georgia Preventing Identity Violence is The Mediation Center’s first federally funded initiative. Providing training sessions is the first step in building awareness of the risk factors, skills for engaging with individuals facing these risk factors, and prevention measures for identity-based violence.

The initiative aims to train and convene local faith leaders, nonprofit organizations, community and behavioral healthcare organizations, schools, major employers, and law enforcement partners. Participation is imperative, to be successful, a member of each entity previously mentioned should attend a training session. Help us spread the word by sharing information about this training and initiative with your networks. Together we can create a local prevention network. To register for the training session or to have the content applied to your industry, please email Dan Rowe at [email protected].