Center for Community Dialogue and Training

Mission Statement

Our Family’s Center for Community Dialogue & Training (the Center) helps Southern Arizonans discuss challenging issues in a skilled, civil, and respectful way through mediation and facilitation, communication trainings, and events that build skills and spread constructive dialogue.

Vision Statement

Southern Arizona shines as a national model for the way community members, including community leaders, routinely engage in open, civil, and respectful dialogue when addressing interpersonal conflicts and examining community issues.

Social Good Endeavor

As a program of Our Family Services, the Center is a “social good” endeavor: Your participation in our services not only promotes effective, nonviolent problem-solving, but helps fund services for individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.

The Center: Who Are We?

The Center celebrated its 40th year in 2019 in providing supportive services for conflict resolution, communication tools and civil discourse. The Center continues to support community by empowering individuals to use their voices and recognize each other’s common humanity through program services that increase dialogue and learned skills to apply to every-day life. This increases civility and understanding here in Southern Arizona and beyond.

A timeline of the Center

1982: Our Town Family Center (Our Town) trains mediators from the community and used them as volunteers to resolve community disputes. Additional services also added of community forums, dialogue circles, and peer mediation.
2010: Center for Transformative Mediation (CTM) Program merged with Our Town and emerged with a vision to lead the way towards a more peaceful community through civil communication practices and conflict-transformation services.
2011: Grassroots Community groups Tucsonans for Civility (TFC) and CTM merge in the aftermath of gun violence in Tucson, AZ. Increased dialogue efforts and new community connections. New name of the Center for Community Dialogue (CCD) adopted.
2016: Logo for the Center developed, strategic planning focus and vision statement created. New name adopted of the Center for Community Dialogue & Training (CCDT).

Center Programs & Services

Community Mediation

Conflict between two individuals (interpersonal) or a group (multi-party) that is having difficulty being resolved. Mediations are conducted to help navigate the conflict resolution process by trained staff and skilled volunteers – safely, with respect and confidentiality along with a neutral approach. May be court ordered or community referred.
What is Mediation?
Mediation Rates and Fees

Community Forums & Dialogue Events

Center staff and volunteers expertly facilitate dialogue processes for large Community Forums and small topic-centered groups, empowering respectful and productive discussions in which all voices are heard. The Center and community partners work together to coordinate and implement these events that increase dialogue and offer a collective healing opportunity.
More about Community Forums & Events

Training

Gain and enhance skills in conflict management, conflict resolution, dialogue facilitation, effective communication, running productive meetings and many more. Customizable trainings for community partners. View the current training schedule at: www.ourfamilyservices.org/training
Trainings offered in English & Spanish.
Offered virtually and in-person. **Due to the pandemic, the Center is currently hosting all virtual trainings. Updates will occur as it becomes safe to come together in person.
Trainings We Offer

Facilitation / Strategic Planning

Center staff use highly interactive methods that fully engage all members of the organization, board of directors, department, coalition or special project to set priorities, focus energy, allocate resources, identify obstacles and determine achievable actions.
What is Facilitation/Strategic Planning?

Meet the Center Team

Joanna Marroquin, MSWCenter Manager

Joanna is a bilingual and bicultural Arizona native and an LGBTQ+ community advocate. She holds a Masters Degree in Social Work with a policy, administration & community focus from Arizona State University. Joanna is a non-profit leader, a transformative mediator, facilitator, and adjunct faculty. Her passion has been in working with community for over sixteen years empowering individuals and families while promoting social justice and economic equity in urban & rural communities throughout Arizona. She is also on the board of the Tucson LGBT Chamber of Commerce. In her downtime she enjoys music, traveling, spending time with family, friends and her sweet little mini schnauzer, Frida.

Christina MedvescekCommunity Dialogue Specialist

Chris has been practicing and teaching transformative conflict resolution since 1983. During that time, she started 50+ peer mediation programs in Arizona and created conflict resolution programs and educational materials for toddlers, elders, families, co-workers, professionals, teachers, at-risk teens, policy makers, people with disabilities and more. An EEO mediator for the US Postal Service, Chris holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and journalism, and is an internationally published journalist and former head of publications for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Her passions include dogs, juggling, and helping people communicate complicated ideas in an understandable fashion.

Marlee Raible Community Dialogue Specialist

Born and raised in Washington state, Marlee’s roots lie in the Pacific Northwest. She has a BA in Sociology from Whitman College, with a personal focus on justice and the criminal punishment system. She is passionate about collaborative community-based work and deeply dedicated to transformative justice that moves away from carceral dependence. Marlee is also fluent in Spanish, and has spent extensive time traveling in Latin America. In her spare time, Marlee enjoys social dancing, traveling, making art, hiking, and good conversation.

Layli MildenSocial Work Intern

Layli Milden is an intern with The Center for Community Dialogue & Training and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work through Arizona State University. Layli has over 15 years of experience working in child welfare and specializes in safety assessment practice and coaching. Her current interest is in the connection between creating a psychologically safe workspace and an organization’s capacity to problem-solve effectively.

The Center is affiliated with the following organizations

Questions about the Center?

Fill out our inquiry form to connect with us

Pay for your Center service

Call: (520) 323-1708 x 422 | Email: center@ourfamilyservices.org

5049 East Broadway Blvd, Suite 125, Tucson, Arizona 85711