Two-day mediation training completed by Amerindian leaders

40 Amerindian leaders from Regions Four, Five, Six and Ten, on Thursday completed a two-day
mediation training programme at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia.
Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, said the training will enable the community leaders
to resolve issues in their communities. “Our leaders and councillors from the village council, we
afforded them the opportunity to participate in the mediation training. Mediation for village
councils is very important. On a daily basis they will experience various issues, problematic
issues, complaints, some sensitive and some difficult ones, and so this training will aid in them
addressing some of the resolution of those issues that come before them,” Sukhai explained.
The Minister noted that through the training, leaders will be prepared to find common resolution
and arrive at unbiased conclusions, when resolving land titling issues and other related matters.
“Ever so often, village councillors and leaders will have to deal with issues of land as it relates to
those land users, whether it’s resident or non-resident because the Amerindian Act allows for a
number of engagements, both with residents, and it provides also scope for engaging non-
residents in investment, in agriculture, sustainable use of the land, and whenever that happens,
leaders must be prepared to address issues that come up, that may need mediation,” she said.
Attorney at Law, Paul Bram and team conducted the successful training session. Bram said he is
confident that the knowledge imparted to the community leaders will be used effectively. “What
we were able to impart to them is that mediation is a process that is worth the while going
through, rather than having to end up in squabbles and court mitigation and that kind of thing…,”
the attorney at law said.

He added, “We had some role plays and the ability to perform the role plays was tremendously
awesome, so we got very good responses from them. We think that they leave here this afternoon
with greater knowledge, greater wisdom in relation to mediation, and how they go about
mediating.” In interviews conducted by government affiliated media houses, some of the
participants expressed thanks and gratitude over the training, stressing that the training has
greatly enhanced their knowledge and will allow them to better solve problems in their
communities.
Lucia Andres, a village leader from Region Five said, “it would benefit me and my community a
great deal because it would avoid a lot of problems that we didn’t know could have been taken
care of within the community, rather than bringing it out of the community unnecessarily, and
very costly. I’m very grateful for that.” Jason Pablo, serving in Region Six said the training was
very beneficial to all the community leaders. “I think going back to my village, it will be a very
beneficial for us the leaders as councillors, as Toshaos, we can be able to solve problems in the
community,” Pablo said.