# Peer-to-Peer Dispute Resolution

*A self-facilitated process where participants work together directly to resolve disputes*

This dispute resolution protocol can be integrated into any governance constitution as an article on conflict resolution.

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## Article: Dispute Resolution

### Section 1: Principles and Values

**Core Values**
This community emphasizes:
- Open dialogue and direct communication
- Mutual respect between all parties
- Collaborative problem-solving
- Focus on solutions rather than blame
- Voluntary participation with encouragement

**Community Standards**
- Standards maintained in shared digital and physical formats
- Reviewed annually by the community
- Accessible to all members
- Bot maintains current version

### Section 2: Initiating Dispute Resolution

**When to Use**
Members should initiate dispute resolution for:
- Interpersonal conflicts between members
- Disagreements about community practices
- Misunderstandings requiring clarification
- Relationship repair needs

**How to Initiate**
1. Submit incident report to @govbot
2. Document: parties involved, events, evidence, desired outcomes
3. Available in electronic or paper format
4. Bot notifies all parties and provides process guidance

**Voluntary Participation**
- Participation is voluntary but strongly encouraged as first step
- Treated as good faith effort to resolve conflicts
- If party declines, coordinator reaches out to understand concerns
- Alternative paths available if unsuitable

### Section 3: The Peer-to-Peer Process

**Self-Facilitation**
Participants manage the process themselves:
- No third-party facilitator required
- Bot provides guidance on communication techniques
- Participants choose meeting location
- Scheduling arranged mutually

**Ground Rules**
All participants agree to:
- Take turns speaking without interruption
- Use "I" statements about personal experience
- Ask clarifying questions to understand better
- Summarize understanding to confirm accuracy
- Focus on solutions rather than dwelling on problems
- Respect confidentiality of the process

**Meeting Structure**
Typical process (60-90 minutes):
1. Each person shares their perspective
2. Ask clarifying questions
3. Identify common ground and differences
4. Joint brainstorming of potential solutions
5. Agree on specific actions or outcomes

### Section 4: Assessing the Dispute

**Joint Assessment**
Participants work together to identify:
- Specific issues that need addressing
- How each person has been impacted
- Relevant community values at stake
- What resolution would look like
- Requirements for moving forward

**Scope and Jurisdiction**
This process is suitable for:
- Most interpersonal conflicts between members
- Communication breakdowns
- Disagreements about behavior or actions
- Relationship tensions

**Escalation Criteria**
Must escalate to higher level if dispute involves:
- Illegal activity
- Safety risks to individuals or community
- Harassment or serious code of conduct violations
- Power imbalances requiring facilitation support

### Section 5: Deliberation and Problem-Solving

**Discussion Process**
- Open conversation about the situation
- Each person's needs and concerns heard
- Clarifying questions encouraged
- Joint exploration of options
- Creative brainstorming of solutions

**Adding Support**
- Initially involves direct parties only
- If deadlocked, may invite one mutually trusted person
- Support person helps facilitate, doesn't decide
- Keeps process peer-to-peer focused

**Reaching Conclusion**
Process concludes when:
- Participants feel issues thoroughly explored
- Ready to make decisions about resolution
- Clear about agreements and next steps
- Or agree to escalate to facilitated process

### Section 6: Resolution Outcomes

**Types of Resolution**
Successful peer-to-peer process may result in:
- Clarifications clearing up misunderstandings
- Apologies for harm caused
- Behavioral agreements for future interactions
- Restoration of harm (returning items, making amends)
- Agreed boundaries for future relationship
- Recognition of different perspectives

**Documenting Agreements**
- Parties can document agreements if desired
- Submit to @govbot for record-keeping
- Not required but recommended for accountability
- Bot sends reminders if follow-up scheduled

**Mutual Agreement Required**
- Both parties must agree to any resolution
- No imposed outcomes in peer-to-peer process
- Partial agreements acceptable
- Can agree to disagree on some points

### Section 7: When Resolution Doesn't Work

**Escalation Path**
If peer-to-peer doesn't resolve the issue:
1. Acknowledge that escalation is needed
2. Refer to trained mediator pool via @govbot
3. Mediators trained in more formal processes
4. Professional referral connections available if needed

**No Penalty for Escalation**
- Escalation is normal, not a failure
- Shows good faith effort was made
- Some disputes need more structured support
- Community values trying direct resolution first

### Section 8: Follow-Up and Accountability

**Checking Agreement**
Follow-up available when:
- Agreement isn't working as expected
- Circumstances have changed significantly
- One party requests check-in
- Scheduled follow-up time arrives

**Requesting Follow-Up**
1. Either party submits written request to @govbot
2. Request focuses on specific agreement issues
3. Initiates new conversation
4. May adjust agreements as needed

**Learning and Improvement**
- Bot tracks anonymized patterns (not individual details)
- Quarterly summaries help community learn
- Information limited to involved parties
- Success patterns shared to help others

### Section 9: Information and Privacy

**Confidentiality**
- Details limited to parties directly involved
- Not shared publicly without consent
- Bot maintains secure records
- Anonymized data only for community learning

**Access to Information**
- Parties have access to their own case documentation
- Quarterly anonymized summaries shared with community
- Statistics help improve process
- Individual privacy protected

**Record Retention**
- Bot maintains dispute resolution records
- Available to parties for reference
- Supports accountability to agreements
- Helps track patterns needing community attention

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## Implementation Notes for Bot

When facilitating peer-to-peer dispute resolution:

1. **Make process accessible** - Provide clear, simple guidance
2. **Support self-facilitation** - Offer communication tips without taking over
3. **Respect autonomy** - Let parties control their process
4. **Track agreements** - Help with follow-up and accountability
5. **Enable escalation** - Make it easy to get more support when needed
6. **Protect privacy** - Keep details confidential
7. **Learn from patterns** - Use anonymized data to improve community

This process works best when community culture supports direct communication, members feel empowered to handle conflicts, and higher-level support is available when needed.