Safe Positive Schools

Peer Mediation Programming

Peer Mediation programs assume that conflict is normal and such conflicts can be used as a positive force to foster personal growth and change. Peer Mediation programming introduces and directs an active school-wide change process and the specific benefits include:

• teaches parents, students, teachers, and administrators to see conflict as a natural everyday occurence and an opportunity to grow and learn.
• creates a safe, healthy school climate by reducing the frequency of destructive conflicts and violence.
• builds a sense of cooperation and improves school climate by promoting communication and mutual understanding between individuals.
• improves parent-student-teacher relationships within the school
• provides an adjunct to school discipline that empowers students to regulate and control their own behavior
• reduces the time teachers and administrators deal with discipline
• reduces the number of students suspensions
• develops student leadership skills and increases student participation
• promotes self-esteem for all students

Program Organization and Implementation
The most common reason that a new program fails to succeed is that implementation stops following in service training. A united effort is needed to sustain the momentum for change. A school-based mediation program needs to exist as an adjunct to a total school-wide approach to student discipline. A meaningful mediation program can only exist in a nurturing and cooperative school environment where the skills, attitudes, and knowledge of mediation are modelled, taught, and positively reinforced through daily interactions and infusion into the total instructional program.

The organization and implemenation plan of a School-Based Mediation program should include the following:

• Inviting Involvement and Commitment
• Development of an Implementation Plan
• Establishing School and Community Support
• Training Program Coordinators and Peer Mediators
• Implementing the Program
• Maintaining and Supporting the Program

Involvement, Commitment and Implementation Plan

Involvement begins with the formation of an Advisory group with the responsibility for (1) long range planning, (2) organizing and conducting school orientation, (3) training school-based program coordinators, (4) assist program coordinators with record keeping and evaluation, (5) on-going support and assistance to program coordinators.

Two Program coordinators are recommended at the school level to coordinate the peer mediation program. Literature fruther suggests that the coordinators be given release time each day for program tasks ranging from facilitating meetings with the advisorty group, making assignments, keeping the project on track, supervising and supporting the student mediators and final program evaluation.

School and Community Support and Commitment

School Orientation
Initially, all school staff should be provided with an overview of the proposed school-based peer mediation program and an inservice focussing on understanding conflict, learning communication skills, facilitating the conflict management, mediation process and learn in more detail what is needed for program implementation. The goal of this orientation is to generate enthusiasm and support for the program and to identify school based program coordinators who will participate in the selection and training of peer mediators and coordinate the program at the school level. An additional goal is to provide an opportunity to examine current school practice with respect to discipline, to help schools understand the role of conflict resolution, peer mediation programs in relation to the disciplinary process and to discuss options available to school assist in managing conflicts. The commitment and time line for implementation of a school-based mediation program will also be a part of this overview session.

In addition, a similar orientation to parents is also suggested to solicit cooperation and garner support for the program.

Training Program Coordinators and Peer Mediators
A middle years, all-school peer mediation model has been adopted for purposes of this guideline. In this model, selected students and teachers receive in-depth training in mediation skills. Usually program coordinators attend supplemental training focussing on skill enhancement and various aspects of program implementation. The trained program coordinators and student mediators respond to conflicts that occur throughout the entire school on an on-going absis.

Members of the Advisory group will provide a more extensive training in conflict resolution and peer mediation procedures to the Program Coordinators before the Teacher Coordinators provide to their class and prior to the selection of peer mediators. Although the exact content of training can vary with time allowed and the particular needs of the school, adequate instruction can be conducted in 8 to 12 hours.

Program Implementation
It is crucial that individual schools establish clear and efficient procedures to encourage and handle referrals. Basic procedures for operating the mediation center must account for:

• who will mediate
• what type of conflicts the program will mediate
• where mediation will take place
• when mediation will occur
• how the referral will be processed

Selection of Peer Mediators
The selection of peer mediators will follow the classroom training. The actual procedure can vary from nomination to application. The qualities that a student brings to the peer mediation process are more significant than any training. Selected students need to be able to communicate well, possess good thinking skills, and be mature enough to keep information confidential. Student mediators should represent a cross section of your school population. Permission letters and a description of the program must be sent to the parents of the selected students. Parental permission is a consideration for participation in the Program.

Types of Conflicts
All conflicts between students are potentially appropriate for the mediation program. Any student can request a mediation, and sudents can be referred to mediation by a teacher or the principal. It is important that all parties agree voluntarily to the process and further agree to confidentiality. It is critical that the disputants arrive at solutions on their own and once an agreement has been reached that it is written down and signed.

Location of the Mediation Program
The location of the mediation program is important to the success of the overall program. A fixed room will provide the program with credibility and help establish the program in the eyes of teachers and students as a viable option for conflict management. The actual location should afford the disputants privacy and should be centrally located so the program coordinator can have easy access for supervision.

Referral Process
Forms need to be readily available to students, teachers, and school administrators. One way to make these forms available is to have teachers display the forms in their classroooms. Forms should be available in the school's main office and on hand at the mediation center. The program coordinator needs to check all locations daily.

Scheduling of Mediation
Mediation should follow as quicikly as possible after the request. Program coordinator should exercise their best judgement in selecting the peer mediator most appropriate for each conflict situation.

Hours of Operation
The peer mediation room should be open for referral on a daily basis. The actual time of operation can vary depending on the needs of a particualr school. It is helpful to post a current schedule appropriately throughout the school. It is important that the time, like the location remain consistent to ensure program success.

Program Maintenance, Support and Evaluation
Regular meetings are necessary in order for the Program Coordinators to support the Student Mediators. These meetings are also necessary to renforce skills and to provide additional training, build cohesion among student mediators and for on-going evaluation.

With the assistance of an advisory group, the program coordinators need to keep track of mediation sessions, file agreements, and calculate totals for statistical and evaluative purposes. Overall assessment of whether the program has met its expressed objectives depends on the program coordinator's ability to keep records and gather information.