‘Mediation is Resolution.’ Member Spotlight: Estera Borcsa

Estera Borcsa, a mediation practitioner, has called on fellow mediators to join forces and help make mediation the go-to approach to global conflict management and peacebuilding. One cannot emphasize enough the need for global concerted efforts directed at helping communities, societies understand and value the effectiveness and impact of mediation, she explained.

Though Estera hailed ongoing mediation efforts focused on creating sustainable global peace, she believes there is a need for more dialogues around this subject matter. This is the only way it will command the respect it truly deserves, she added. Estera also underscored the incredible role of mediation in breaking general crises in these words:

It provides an opportunity for people to be heard. It creates an avenue for peaceful negotiation. There is no loser. Mediation is resolution; its outcomes are sustainable.

She is exceedingly passionate about supporting and empowering impoverished groups.  A trained law and mental health professional, Estera is on a mission to bridge the gap between mediation and psychotherapy. She has dedicated her life to serving families and young adults battling severe emotional trauma. Her goal is to help restore their hope for a better future.

In pursuit of her passion to make a difference in the lives of others, she realized that mediation was the bridge builder she needed to fulfill this personal and professional mission of hers.

Mediation presents me with a platform to advocate the causes of neglected groups. It enables me to amplify their voices at all levels.

Thus, Estera feels personally and professionally fulfilled as a mediator. It all started in 2015 when she attended an international congress organized and hosted by MBBI in Romania. “I appreciate my affiliation with MBBI. I have gotten so much from it, both personally and professionally. I have developed great long-term relationships that are contributing to my professional goals. Also, I have always wanted to create an impact in the lives of others and MBBI is helping me achieve that,” she stressed.

At the 2015 Congress, she connected with Alan Gross. His presentation offered enormous insights on the link between mediation and psychotherapy. He and the “different stories of advocacy efforts focused on creating peace in conflict-stricken areas” inspired Estera. Since then, she has been promoting grassroots peacebuilding around the world. “It was such an exciting and unique experience. Being in a room filled with amazing people who are doing lots of different things to create global peace was intriguing,” she recalls.

Estera currently serves at-risk youths as clinical director of five mental health programs. In May 2018, she received the Diverse Community Leader Award in recognition of her commitment to persistently advocating the causes of impoverished groups. The Award honors individuals or groups for their extraordinary contributions to Orange County, California, in the areas of human or civil rights advocacy. She also chairs the Sustainable Development Action Group and is also a key member of the UN Committee on the Status of Women.

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Estera is the current Chair of MBBI’s Los Angeles Regional Group. Over the course of the last three years, her team has developed and implemented multiple projects, events, and training sessions aimed at fostering social cohesion in local communities.  The group also partners with other community-based organizations, especially youth groups, to provide capacity building in the areas of mediation, facilitation, and negotiation.

Additionally, MBBI-LA provides capacity building to Rotary clubs and districts by training Rotarians to be Peace Conversation Facilitators (PCF). “We teach them how to facilitate difficult conversations in their clubs. They are effectively utilizing these skills,” she stated.

Click here to read about Peace Conversation Facilitation Training MBBI-LA has recently hosted.

Article by Fatoumata Bility, MBBI Writer