SAMPLE CASES AND TASKS

In this section you can find Mediation Cases and Activity Tasks which you can offer to your students and can use in classroom to train practical skills necessary for mediators.
Practical trainings, role plays and tasks requiring active participation of the students are crucial in the education process of young mediators.
We offer you to try out in your classroom several Criminal and Civil Mediation Cases and Activity tasks related to active listening, rephrasing and controlling emotions.

Mediation Cases

Bodily injuries at school

Criminal case  

Christine and Peter were in love with each other, but suddely Christine ended the relationship and now has a new boyfriend, named Arnold. as a result Christine and Peter have a conflict. One day Arnold comes to their school and hits Peter. Peter is immediately taken to the hospital.

 

Cooperative of owners of garages

Civil case

There is a cooperative company „Alfa” established in Riga, Latvia. One member of the cooperative company, Mr Jānis Jonas, has not paid his monthly fee for three years. The cooperative company asks for a lawyer’s advice and prepares a legal claim to the court. Mr Jānis Jonas writes in his counter claim that the garage is in such a poor technical condition that his car is totally damaged while being placed in the garage. After the judge has talked to both parties, they are ready to try mediation to save time and financial resources.

 

Dance on the car

Criminal case

Mr Raimonds Ritenis lives in the Old Town of Riga and parks his newest model of BMW car near his apartment. One morning he discovers that his car is visibly scratched – there are damages on the roof and a broken mirror. On the very next day the police officers catch the guilty person. It is a 16 years young high-school girl Linda Laiva.

Neighborhood dispute

Civil case

Frank Smith is 25 years old, he is a multi-artist from England who now lives in Latvia. Frank rents a small apartment in the suburbs of Riga. The owner of the apartment and the whole house is Mrs. Antonia Daugaviete, a 72 years old lady. Mrs. Antonia has warned Frank several times that she will terminate his rent agreement and evict him from the apartment, because Frank does not respect her and other renters of the house. In the opinion of Mrs. Antonia Frank’s clothes are provocative, also his lifestyle is unacceptable, as well as the type of music he listens to is weird and scary.

 

Labor law: Honey and Milk   

Civil case

The company “Honey and Milk” is a successful enterprise based in Estonia, which works in dairy (milk) and honey product industry. To participate in a financially significant public procurement project, the company needs to get an additional licence from the Licencing Ministry. Melissa, Head of the Project Department, is personally responsible for submission of the documents for the licence and for the participation in a business interview related to the project. However, she does not show up at the Licensing Ministry and does not participate in the interview which is very important for the company. Later it turns out that at this time Melissa’s family dog was deadly injured in a street accident. However, now the company has no chance to continue its participation in the public procurement project.

Inheritance dispute between two sisters

Civil case

Valerie and Ramona are sisters. The mother of Valerie and Ramona died when the girls were little. Three months ago also their father Arnold has passed away. After the death of their father both sisters are in a dramatic conflict about the division of the inheritance.

Family Maintenance dispute between mother and daugther

Civil case

 15 years ago when Ms Ivonne was 80 years old, she decided to conclude a maintenance agreement with her daughter Anne. Anne moved to Canada, but still was providing financial support to her mother. 1 month ago Ms Ivonne raises a claim in the court and asks the judge to annul the Maintenance agreement.
 

Teachers in a dispute

Civil case

Two teachers – Ms Samanta Kropiwiec and Ms Beatriz Wojcieszek – working in a small, but prestigious school in Latvia have found themselves in a conflict.

Activity Tasks

Task 1. Active listening and questioning

One of the students tells about an unacceptable event in his/her life. Task of the student who listens is to demonstrate active listening skills and ask open questions.

 

Task 2. Active listening

 

One of the students tells about an unacceptable event in his/her life. Task of the student who listens is to demonstrate active listening skills.
 
 
Task 3. Showing emotions – naming emotions

One of students tells a story and demonstrates emotions. The person who listens demonstrates active listening skills, including naming emotions.

 

Task 4. Calm down the lawyer

One of students is playing a lawyer, who is emotional and aggressive, protecting the best positions of a client. The person who listens demonstrates active listening skills, including naming emotions and trying to calm down the lawyer, showing a positive perspective of the mediation process.

 

Task 5. Passive and negative listening

One of students talks about some unacceptable event in his/her life, to which him/her was a witness to. The student who listens demonstrates bad and passive listening skills.

 

Task 6. Rephrasing
 
One of students tells a story about a person, whose behaviour is completely unacceptable to him/her. The person who listens to the story shall rephrase what is said, using more neutral language, and reflecting the emotions of the speaker.