MannaCare Volunteer Tianna Selected for ICC Asia-Pacific Consumer Mediation Competition

One of MannaCare's amazing volunteers Tianna De Silva continues to impress with her dedication, her wisdom and intelligence.

Regularly coming in to volunteer and spending time with residents making coffee and engaging in conversations with the ladies at Grevillea House, she is also in her final year of a Law/English Degree at La Trobe University.

She signed up to volunteer several years ago because she “wanted to make a contribution”. Tianna flourishes naturally in the setting with residents. “I spend a lot of time with my grandmother and her friends, so I’m kind of used to it in a way. They’re in their late 70s and 80s. They’re still at home and I play bingo with them and sometimes go out with them”.

Now she can add something else to her hear already hectic schedule!

Tianna has been selected for the ICC Asia-Pacific Consumer Mediation Competition representing La Trobe University. This allows students in Australia and in the Asia-Pacific regions “To gain mediation and collaborative problem-solving skills in order to meet the dispute resolution needs of international businesses,” says Tianna. The competition involves two parties to a commercial dispute that must use mediation skills to represent the parties' interests and to reach an ideal settlement.

Tianna applied for the competition and was selected after a rigorous process. The selection was centered on “academic transcript, experience, and genuine interest in mediation.”

She will be in a team with two other final year La Trobe law students and “We will be competing in two rounds in Melbourne at the end of July; and if successful, we will attend the international competition in Paris in 2019.”

Tianna is “very excited to participate in the competition. I think it is an invaluable opportunity to experience a cross-cultural setting, and to develop mediation skills that are crucial in most business and commercial settings. I am also looking forward to the training sessions, since I will be learning under two professors at La Trobe University who have extensive experience in mediation.”

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