Waage Hannover

Waage Hannover e.V. is a non-profit mediation and conflict-settlement centre serving the city and region of Hannover in Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1990 by an interdisciplinary group drawn from the judiciary and legal profession, social work and pedagogy, the police and academia, it was established to provide a low-threshold, community-based route to out-of-court conflict resolution for citizens involved in disputes, legal proceedings or criminal offences. At the time of its founding it was the first institution in Germany to carry out out-of-court victim-offender mediation (Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich, TOA) for adults. The organisation describes itself as the non-profit centre for mediation and conflict settlement in the city and region of Hannover, with close to three decades of experience in conflict management. Its services are open to every citizen as well as to institutions and companies, and all of its mediators hold a recognised mediation qualification meeting the professional standards of the German mediation associations (BAFM, BM, BMWA). Waage Hannover works across everyday civil disputes and criminal-law-relevant conflicts. Its civil mediation and arbitration service covers conflicts in the personal and social sphere, including family matters such as partnership and generational conflicts and inheritance disputes, neighbourhood and landlord-tenant conflicts, disputes between flat owners, consumer-trader conflicts, school conflicts between teachers, pupils and parents, conflicts in healthcare, elderly care, disability and youth welfare and other social institutions, group and team conflicts in associations and public bodies, and multi-party conflicts in public space. In the criminal field it conducts out-of-court victim-offender mediation and, since 2016, a Restorative Justice pilot project. Beyond casework, the association is active in training and prevention. It runs a mediation training programme aligned with the standards of the federal mediation associations, including a pilot project on intercultural competence in mediation, and organises municipal prevention projects. It cooperates with family courts and youth welfare offices in highly conflicted family cases, with public prosecutors and courts on victim-offender mediation, and it forms part of the HaIP network as a counselling and intervention centre (BISS) for domestic and intra-family violence. It has also contributed to the development of nationwide professional mediation standards, including TOA standards and standards for mediation in cases of domestic violence. By December 2008 its staff had mediated in more than 8,000 cases, and over 25 years it handled more than 11,000 cases with over 22,500 participants. In September 2008 the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice recognised the association as a state-approved arbitration body (Gütestelle) for the out-of-court settlement of civil disputes, allowing parties to obtain an enforceable title through out-of-court mediation. The association is based at Friesenstraße 14 in Hannover and is led by a board whose first chairman since 2006 has been the jurist and social scientist Thomas Trenczek, a member of the founding board.

Waage Hannover was founded in 1990 in Hannover as a registered association (eingetragener Verein) by an interdisciplinary circle of people from the judiciary and legal profession, social work and pedagogy, the police and academia. Its aim was to maintain a socially proximate, community-based offering of out-of-court conflict settlement in the city and region of Hannover, giving citizens who fall into dispute, become involved in legal proceedings or are participants in or affected by a criminal offence a low-threshold access to mediation. At the time of its founding it was the first institution in Germany to conduct out-of-court victim-offender mediation (Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich, TOA) in the adult sector. In June 2002, with funding from the state of Lower Saxony, the association launched a pilot project for the training and involvement of volunteer mediators. In 2006 it received the seal of quality of the federal working group on victim-offender mediation (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft TOA), which was extended for a further five years in 2010. By December 2008 its staff had mediated in more than 8,000 cases, and the association had contributed to the development of nationwide professional mediation standards, such as the TOA standards and mediation standards in cases of domestic violence. In September 2008 the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice recognised the association as a state-approved arbitration body (Gütestelle) for the out-of-court settlement of civil disputes, so that parties to a dispute can obtain an enforceable title for the binding settlement of their conflict on the basis of out-of-court mediation. On 7 May 2011 the Waage Hannover was awarded the so-called JugendWinWinno of the international DACH mediation association at the International Mediation Days in Hamburg, in recognition of its innovative and successful project on counselling and mediation in highly escalated family conflicts, especially in violence-affected families, and the cross-institutional cooperation and networking it practised in family conflicts. For several years the association has run the pilot project 'Intercultural Competence in Mediation', in which citizens with a mediation background receive a mediation training recognised under the standards of the federal mediation associations (in particular 200 hours) and then mediate in an interdisciplinary team of mediators. For this it was awarded the Lower Saxony prize 'Unbezahlbar und Freiwillig' in November 2015. Since 2016 the association has also run a Restorative Justice pilot project, seeking to give greater effect to the key aspects of the Restorative Justice philosophy, in particular stronger involvement of the social environment of those involved in the conflict, anchoring conflict settlement in the immediate social sphere, and compensation in the area of serious offences and in the penal system. Over 25 years the Waage handled more than 11,000 cases with over 22,500 participants. Its work spans civil and criminal-law-relevant conflicts, cooperation with family courts and youth welfare offices in highly conflicted family cases, cooperation with public prosecutors and courts on victim-offender mediation, its role as a counselling and intervention centre (BISS) and part of the HaIP network for domestic and intra-family violence, its training programme for mediators, and the organisation of municipal prevention projects such as the exhibition 'Gewalt ist nie privat!'. The association is based at Friesenstraße 14 in Hannover. Thomas Trenczek, a jurist and social scientist and member of the founding board, has been its first chairman since 2006.

• 2016

  Began running a Restorative Justice pilot project.

• 2015

  In November, awarded the Lower Saxony prize 'Unbezahlbar und Freiwillig' for its 'Intercultural Competence' project.

• 2011

  On 7 May, awarded the JugendWinWinno of the international DACH mediation association at the International Mediation Days in Hamburg for its project on counselling and mediation in highly escalated family conflicts.

• 2010

  The TOA seal of quality was extended for a further five years.

• 2008

  In September, recognised by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice as a state-approved arbitration body (Gütestelle) for the out-of-court settlement of civil disputes.

• 2008

  By December, staff had mediated in more than 8,000 cases.

• 2006

  Received the seal of quality of the federal working group on victim-offender mediation (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft TOA).

• 2006

  Thomas Trenczek, member of the founding board, became first chairman.

• 2002

  With funding from the state of Lower Saxony, launched a pilot project for the training and involvement of volunteer mediators.

• 1990

  Waage Hannover founded in Hannover as a registered association by an interdisciplinary group from the judiciary, legal profession, social work/pedagogy, police and academia; first institution in Germany to conduct out-of-court victim-offender mediation for adults.

Non-profit, low-threshold, community-based mediation and conflict-settlement centre for the city and region of Hannover, offering out-of-court dispute resolution and victim-offender mediation as an alternative to court proceedings.

• Out-of-court mediation and arbitration for civil disputes

  Non-profit mediation and arbitration service open to all citizens for settling civil disputes, especially in the personal and social sphere such as family, neighbourhood, landlord-tenant, consumer-trader, school, healthcare and social institution conflicts, and multi-party conflicts in public space.

• Victim-offender mediation (Täter-Opfer-Ausgleich, TOA)

  Out-of-court mediation between offenders and victims, conducted in cooperation with public prosecutors and courts; the Waage was Germany's first provider in the adult sector.

• Mediation training programme

  Training for mediators according to the standards of the federal mediation associations (BM, BMWA and BAFM), including the 'Intercultural Competence in Mediation' pilot project with a recognised qualification of in particular 200 hours.

• Restorative Justice pilot project

  Since 2016, a pilot project applying the Restorative Justice philosophy, including stronger involvement of the social environment of those involved, compensation in serious offences and in the penal system.

• Counselling and intervention centre (BISS) for domestic violence

  Part of the HaIP network for prevention and intervention in the area of domestic and intra-family violence.

1. 1Konfliktlösung Mediation | Waage Hannover e.V.waage-hannover.de
2. 2Über uns | Waage Hannoverwaage-hannover.de
3. 3News | Waage Hannoverwaage-hannover.de
4. 4Kontakt | Waage Hannoverwaage-hannover.de
5. 5Waage Hannover – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Waage Hannover – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org