A Bainbridge man said Monday he is thrilled to be named the New York State Dispute Resolution Association's 2007 recipient of the Lawrence Cooke Peace Innovator Award.
Duke Fisher, 43, who co-founded Learning Laboratories with his wife, Sharon, will be honored at the Association's 2007 annual conference Oct. 19 in Albany.
"I've never done things traditionally," Fisher said. "Who would think that a goofball such as myself, who puts stickers on people's heads, would receive an award that has been given to (state) Supreme Court justices."
Each year, the award is bestowed to an individual or organization for providing innovative leadership in the alternative dispute-resolution field, according to an association media release.
"Mr. Fisher provides innovative mediation and conflict resolution training, team-building and communication training in New York state and beyond," the release said. "His organization, Learning Laboratories, provides mediation services, performances and techniques for beginning dialogues on social issues, particularly violence.
"This is a real acknowledgment for me personally," Fisher said. "It's very affirming, but I said, `Wow, are they serious?' It's really very nice."
Fisher said he has been working in mediation since 1988. He said he tailors his sessions to include engaging ways to catch people's attention and show them the session is not a waste of time.
"I use a lot of films, kids' games and experiential exercises," Fisher said. "At the end of the day, I want to know if the people were excited and if they learned new skills.
"It's not about being nice," Fisher continued. "In mediation, I encourage people to be real. Once we know what is really going on, you might have a chance at finding answers that really work."
In 1988, Fisher started as a volunteer mediator with the local Catholic Charities Dispute Resolution Center for Chenango, Delaware and Otsego counties.
Fisher has also served as a director of two Community Dispute Resolution Centers and as a certified Unified Court System trainer since 1990.
"Fisher co-authored and presented statewide training on mediating child support in ways that keeps the focus on children," the release said.
In 1999, the Fishers founded Learning Laboratories, where they use innovative methods to teach about difficult topics.
"People who are bored are not learning," Sharon Fisher said. "Duke's enthusiasm for both social change and ridiculous fun is infectious."
Learning Laboratories has organized mock keg parties, street theater DWI drownings and staged race riots to illustrate social issues.
Duke Fisher is also a special professor of law at Hofstra Law School, where he trains students to facilitate parent/teen mediations.
"Bringing non-violent skills to law-enforcement agencies or collaborative skills workshops to attorneys and bar associations is no simple task," Fisher said. "There is just no way around the fact that if you are going to be effective in those environments, you have to be innovative."
More information is available at www.learninglaboratories.org.
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