Staff Profiles
Carl Emery
Carl Emery is a Director of Resolutions First. He is a qualified teacher and a graduate in Conflict Resolution with a wide range of experience in teaching, managing and writing conflict management and emotional literacy programmes. Carl has worked closely with Education Action Zones and Excellence in Cities, as well as delivering conflict resolution programmes to clients as diverse as British Gas and Crime Concern.
Carl has worked with Manchester LEA and Sheffield Hallam University on writing and building a city-wide personal competencies programme for all Manchester pupils, focussed on social and personal development. He has also worked with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Graded Qualifications Alliance (GQA) on developing curricula for personal, social and employability skills.
Julie Wolstenholme
Julie is a Director of Resolutions First. She is a qualified teacher and a graduate in Social Anthropology from Manchester University. Julie has many years experience working in the field of conflict resolution both in schools and in the wider community. She worked with Manchester Metropolitan University to develop and deliver a module on conflict resolution for the Youth and Community work course.
Having originally come to this field of work as a community mediator, Julie has a commitment to the promotion of mediation as a method of dispute transformation and resolution and has trained a team of mediators for Manchester LEA’s School Mediation Service. She has been involved in research projects on cross cultural conflict resolution with an emphasis on women’s experiences of conflict within and between communities.
Julie is currently pioneering work on developing Restorative Approaches in schools across Manchester, based upon the principles of Restorative Justice. She has run restorative conferences and delivered training on restorative approaches to schools across the region. Julie co-authored the Primary Playground Buddies Toolkit, a resource for teachers to train pupils as playground buddies.
Laura Gilchrist
Laura joined the Resolutions First team in September 2005. Previously, she managed a project for an environmental education charity and worked as a freelance educator. Laura has run training for both children and teachers in playground buddies, peer mediation, conflict resolution skills and developing an effective school council. She has also delivered training on a range of global development issues in secondary schools and church settings.
Laura trained as a conflict mediator in 2003 and is a qualified volunteer mediator with Manchester Mediation, a neighbourhood mediation service. She is also a church mediator as part of the Bridge Builders network, and a director and facilitator of Peace School. She co-authored the Primary Playground Buddies Toolkit, a resource for teachers to train pupils as playground buddies.
Laura is currently working towards a Masters Degree in Conflict Resolution at Bradford University’s Peace Studies department.
Hilary Bichovsky
Hilary started as our Administrator in November 2006. Before coming to Resolutions First, she worked in administration and research for a range of organisations, including the National Health Service; independent left-wing journalism; urban theology; and as a freelance copy editor. She is also a part-time yoga teacher and is very committed to the yoga principle of ahimsa - non violence.