A Sri Lankan team of student mediators placed 7^th out of 156 teams in the mediation World Championship competition hosted by the International Academy of Dispute Resolution (IADR) with the help of Georgia Southern University’s Mock Mediation Club.  The American club conducted training sessions with the Sri Lankan’s over the Internet to help them prepare for the competition.

Mediation is a new concept in the Sri Lankan business and academic world.  Team member Chapa Perera said “Mediation is not popular in Sri Lanka and a tournament is an alien concept.  We did not have any training or guidance.”

Surprisingly, the Mock Mediation Club at Georgia Southern is less than a year old itself.  The Sri Lankan team sent out a wide call for assistance when it won a spot in the World Championship, and the Mock Mediation Club agreed to help.  When it was determined that the two Clubs could not meet in person, they turned to modern technology to bridge the gap, and the Sri Lankan team credited the Mock Mediation Club with their success.

The training was part of the club’s efforts to expand; having begun life with just four members, the Mock Mediation Club has grown to 20 members, and established a training program was established to encourage more participation and membership from the student population.  It was this training program that caught the attention of the Sri Lankans.