The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire – Savannah, Ga.’s leading organization dedicated to helping citizens proactively manage conflict and creating a more conflict-resilient community – is thrilled to announce a strategic expansion, adding a wide range of new safety and resiliency programs to its existing menu of community-based services.

The Mediation Center’s new safety and resiliency services offer a comprehensive approach to community safety and follow national best practices for public health and mental health. Special programs like Mindful Self-Compassion, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and Community Resiliency Model are designed to reduce conflict and to offer participants the tools to manage stress, regulate emotions and recover from adversity.

“At the Mediation Center, we believe that conflict can often be a manifestation of unaddressed mental or emotional health challenges, which is why we view conflict resolution as a vital public health priority,” said The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire Executive Director Jill Cardenas. “By integrating safety and resiliency programming with our mediation and peacebuilding work, we are intentionally embedding the skills, knowledge and relationships that strengthen individuals, families and neighborhoods.”

The Mediation Center’s new safety and resiliency programs are designed to be preventative as well as restorative. Resiliency programming helps to encourage emotional regulation, empathy and communication and to reduce the likelihood of conflict before it happens. After a conflict occurs, these innovative programs are designed to help support long-term healing and to complement therapy, case management and other mental health services.

In addition, The Mediation Center is pleased to welcome Vira Salzburn as the nonprofit’s new Director of Impact. In her new role, Salzburn is responsible for overseeing safety and resiliency programming while amplifying The Mediation Center’s influence in the local community by fostering strategic partnerships, building a network of conflict-resilient leaders and driving powerful new initiatives.

“I’m deeply honored to join the talented team at The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire and to make safety and resiliency programming available to individuals and organizations across our community and statewide,” said Salzburn. “The Mediation Center has a long history of addressing community needs through education and prevention. Adding safety and resiliency programs emphasizing mental health, social connectedness and trauma-informed practices will complement The Mediation Center’s core focus on conflict-resolution and peacebuilding, helping to make Savannah a more resilient community.”

Prior to joining The Mediation Center, Salzburn served as the Executive Director of Chatham County Safety Net Planning Council, where she led the organization’s safety and resiliency programming. She is a Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training Master Trainer, Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and Yoga Instructor and Community Resiliency Model Instructor who will lead many of The Mediation Center’s new safety and resiliency classes.

Originally from Ukraine, Salzburn earned a M.S. in Management, Organizational Behavior and Leadership from Troy University and a B.A. in Humanities from Auburn University at Montgomery. She also has a graduate certificate in Topics in Human Behavior from Harvard University and received additional training from the Google Leadership Institute’s Search Inside Yourself program and the Task Force for Global Health’s Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics.

Active in the Savannah community, Salzburn serves on the leadership team of Resilient Coastal Georgia, teaches trauma-informed practices and speaks widely about suicide prevention. She was a featured speaker at TEDxSavannah in 2022, delivering a thoughtful talk about the power of mindful self-compassion. In 2023, she received the Georgians for a Healthy Future Community Impact Award for her efforts to expand mental health prevention and intervention programs across the state.

“Vira is an impressive community activist and people-first leader who is on the forefront of local mental health education, trauma-sensitive care and resilience-building efforts,” said Cardenas. “By integrating safety and resiliency programming with mediation, conflict-resolution and peacebuilding, we can build a stronger, more equitable community, where everyone in the greater Savannah area has the tools and support needed to navigate challenges, resolve conflicts and build meaningful relationships.”

For more information about safety and resiliency programs at The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, please contact Vira Salzburn at [email protected].