Resolve West, formerly Bristol Mediation, was founded in 1987 in direct response to rising social tensions in the city. We became a registered charity in 1991, and sought funding to train mediators and to raise awareness of mediation as a non-violent and highly effective means of resolving conflict without the need for legal action. Our aim was to encourage and enable others to explore ways of coping with, and resolving, conflicts in their own lives and in the life of the community.
Since our inception, we have undertaken various projects which promote restorative approaches. This has included:
- Working in schools and producing a peer mediation manual
- Restorative Justice for young offenders and victims and looked after children,
- Neighbourhood/community mediation
- Working with young people involved in street conflict, gang crime and Anti Social Behaviour
- Providing conflict resolution services with young offenders and their families to enable greater communication
- Working with adults and young people at risk of homelessness
- Providing Restorative Justice to victims and offenders
- Providing recognised and accredited training in Restorative Justice and Mediation
- Running a Road Sharing project
- Working in collaboration with hate crime partners across the City of Bristol.
- Working in partnership in priority neighbourhoods