Prestigious honor given to San Diego-based, national organization, for its innovative work to heal political divisions in our community

San Diego CA— On Thursday, Oct. 28, the San Diego Rotary Club 33 announced local nonprofit, National Conflict Resolution Center (NCRC), as the recipient of the 2021 Peace Award. NCRC received this honor for its outstanding work over the last three decades in bringing together differing factions to communicate and collaborate. In addition, San Diego Rotary Club 33 also donated $1,000 to NCRC, which will directly benefit the nonprofit’s various programs.
“We’re all about bringing people together with different life experiences and points of view, and then engaging in conversation to find common ground,” says Steven P. Dinkin, president, National Conflict Resolution Center. “We believe this is the only way to overcome hate, intolerance, incivility, and injustice.”
The annual San Diego Rotary Peace Award is designed to honor organizations or individuals in San Diego County who have made a significant difference in bringing differing communities together and has demonstrated commitment to the foregoing, and actions taken to bring about the change “to help build goodwill and peace in the world,” according to the Rotary’s Mission Statement.
Recipients of the Peace Award are selected each year by the San Diego Rotary Peace Committee whose members include Ned Silver, Tom Cohen, Bink Cook, Roger Haines, Jr., Ann Hill, Divya Kakaiya, Walter Lam, Sabrina Lopez, Deirdre Maloney, Dave Oates, Jenni Prisk, Ray Uzeta, and Tasreen Khamisa.
“NCRC is an extraordinary example of organizations that put service for others above self,” said San Diego Rotary President Phil Blair. “We are honored to acknowledge and commend their efforts to create a safer, more peaceful community.”

Honoring a global leader in conflict resolution

Since 1983, NCRC has trained thousands of mediators and conducted more than 20,000 mediations. The organization works to empower individuals and companies to become better communicators through workshops delivered to everyone from college students to business executives to veterans.
Whether helping neighbors resolve a dispute through mediation, teaching communication and de-escalation skills to at-risk populations, facilitating dialogue between community members and law enforcement, or empowering individuals to be upstanders when they see problem behaviors in the workplace, NCRC creates space and provides tools that allow people, organizations, and communities to come together and resolve conflicts.
Last year during the pandemic, NCRC delivered hundreds of communications and conflict resolution training programs via Zoom where people gathered, talked, and formed virtual friendships. Additionally, NCRC also began providing conflict coaching services to people experiencing homelessness to prepare them for the transition into permanent housing and then rejoin their communities. The organization also trains student leaders on college campuses in the ART of Inclusive Communication. Also known as ARTIC, the program builds self-awareness and understanding of other cultures and enables people to communicate effectively and respectfully in diverse settings. The program, which started at UC San Diego has since grown to 20 campuses across the western United States, with 10,000 students trained.
“We are immensely grateful for the acknowledgement that our work is making a significant difference in San Diego. Thank you, San Diego Rotary Club, for recognizing our efforts to inspire peace in our community, country, and around the world,” says Dinkin.
For more information on NCRC’s programs, services, and resources, as well as ways to support the nonprofit, visit ncrconline.com.