Volunteers’ Week 2025
Jo Winters didn’t set out to become a mediator. A long career in education and local authority work had already placed her at the heart of community conversations – first as a teacher, then as an education adviser, and eventually as a leader in school governance. But it was through exposure to disputes between parents and schools that she sensed a deeper need. Traditional processes, she found, often fell short in resolving the complexities at play.
“I was seeing conflict, but I didn’t want to make judgements about it,” she recalls. “I wanted to be able to help people work out how to move on themselves.”
That instinct led her here to Calm Mediation, a charity that trains and supports volunteer mediators. Since completing her training in 2019, Jo has become a committed volunteer, offering her time and experience to help neighbours settle disputes that, left unchecked, can spiral into long-standing grievances. The cases vary – noise complaints, arguments over fences, misunderstandings between generations – but the goal remains consistent: helping people listen, reflect, rebuild connection and figure out their own solutions.
Working both online and in-person, Jo and her fellow mediators create safe, structured environments where people can share frustrations and hear one another, often for the first time in years. The shift is often undramatic, but almost always meaningful. Even in the most entrenched situations, a calm conversation can unlock a new way forward.
“There’s almost always a story behind it – someone who’s caring for a relative, someone who has a disability,” she says. “The conflict becomes a way of letting tensions out.” In those moments, she adds, “We’re not here to solve it for them – we help them talk.”
Beyond her role in direct mediation, Jo has introduced regular peer supervision sessions among the volunteers – informal gatherings where they can reflect on cases, share insights, and support one another in what can be emotionally demanding work. These sessions have become a valued space for growth and solidarity within the team.“We were all doing potentially stressful work,” she explains. “I thought, why don’t we come together every few weeks, just to talk about our mediation experiences, offer support, and keep learning?”
Yet the world of volunteer mediation, she acknowledges, faces its own internal challenges – one of which is around representation. Many Calm Mediation volunteers are older women who have recently retired. While their life experience brings depth and empathy, Jo is concerned that the demographic is narrow.
“We definitely need a broader mix – younger people, working people, people from different backgrounds. And that’s not easy to achieve.”
Training structures and public awareness both play a role. “There’s a big hurdle in the training – written assignments, academic-style assessments. For some people, especially if English isn’t their first language or if they haven’t written like that in a while, it can be a barrier.” Many, she adds, simply don’t know mediation is even a volunteering option. “People think of volunteering as soup kitchens or fundraising – mediation just isn’t on their radar.”
Despite these hurdles, Jo remains quietly determined. Her focus is on sustaining what works while gently pushing for change – offering mentorship, opening conversations, and helping to evolve the culture of volunteer mediation.
As Volunteers’ Week casts a spotlight on the often-unseen work of people like her, Jo exemplifies a model of service rooted not in authority, but in presence. She doesn’t claim to fix the problems people bring. Instead, she helps them find a place where those problems can be heard, understood, and, just maybe, transformed.
