When confronted with conflict of any kind, the community agrees to adhere to these conflict resolution principles and steps: I Problem-Solving Guidelines. The village agrees to the following guidelines when involved in conflict resolution efforts: 1. A commitment to mutual respect. 2. A commitment to solve the problem. 3. No put-downs. 4. No intimidation, implied or direct. 5. No physical contact. 6. No interrupting. 7. Agreement to use the conflict resolution protocol, below. II. Conflict Resolution Protocols: Community members in conflict will: 1. Make a good faith effort to resolve the problem between/among themselves by first dealing directly with the person or persons with whom he/she is experiencing problems. 2. If direct interaction does not solve the problem, the members in conflict can ask a mutually agreed-upon member to help mediate and solve the problem. The Connecting Team will maintain a list of members who are available to provide this mediation. Community mediators will maintain confidentiality regarding the details of any conflict they are involved in. It is not the intention of this policy to provide actual guidelines for how this mediation is conducted, i.e. numbers of sessions, use of a written agreement, follow-up meetings, etc. It is assumed that people who volunteer to provide mediation are capable of formulating an effective, structured plan for reaching and maintaining resolution of the conflict. 3. If using a community mediator does not solve the problem, it is recommended that community members in conflict secure competent professional mediation from local mediators at their own expense. The Connecting Team will compile a list of outside mediators who are familiar with similar situations and charge fees in the usual and customary range.