Municipal conflict management programme ZoffOff

Since the project began in 2013, the Institute for Conflict Management has provided scientific support for the municipal conflict management project ZoffOff in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In the project, qualified mediators offer their support on a voluntary basis to help individuals, associations, house communities, school classes, working groups and initiatives to deal constructively with their conflicts. Based on an initiative by the pastor of the Protestant Emmaus parish in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Jörg Machel, ZoffOff sees itself as an ideologically neutral and non-commercial conflict resolution centre that is open to everyone. In this way, the project aims to make a tangible contribution to a constructive conflict culture and – from a systemic perspective - establish a communal conflict management programme.

ZoffOff is aimed in particular at people and organisations that are unable to make use of commercial conflict counselling. With its low-threshold programme, ZoffOff aims to provide an introduction to mediated conflict resolution. From the outset, the service is therefore designed to complement existing public and private, citizen-oriented counselling services and works cooperatively with relevant institutions, public bodies, civil society organisations and private sector consultants.

In addition to scientific support, IKM employees also organise selective further training courses for the mediators and employees of the conflict resolution centres involved. They also provide scientific advice on the design and development of the conflict management structures in which conflict counselling and mediation are embedded.