Work with youth is emerging as an area of focus for CMS. Equipping youth with new skills and attitudes to deal with conflict and crime will produce healthier and safer communities in the future.
Peer Mediation
Peer Mediation is designed so that students are able to help each other resolve conflicts without the assistance of adults. Typically, two trained Peer Mediators will be called upon to mediate between two other students in a conflict with each other.
We train students and staff at all levels from elementary to senior high. CMS has helped over 50 schools across the province to establish Peer mediation Programs.
- Students are trained in the mediation process to guide the parties involved in the dispute reach a reasonable solution.
- The mediators do not judge or counsel the disputants but instead they listen carefully and make sure that each person respects the rules agreed to by the participants.
- The goal of mediation is not for someone to be proven guilty or innocent but rather to work out differences between the disputants. The mediators encourage them to come up with the solution themselves in order to maintain ownership of the solution.
- One important thing to remember is that mediation should be voluntary and no one should be forced into the process.
| School Faculty | Students | School Administrators |
| Less conflict in the classroom Improved classroom and school climate Less time and energy in handling disruption More time for teaching New skills for teaching Improvement in attitude and behavior of students |
Learn responsibility for their behavior Learn to be responsive to their peers in a cooperative and constructive manner Improved communication skills Learn to be fair and impartial Increase involvement in citizenship activities Improved self-esteem |
Additional options in handling behavior problems Reduction in behavior problems Improved school morale |
A Canadian Success Story
Cole Harbour High is a Canadian school that has received national recognition for the implementation of a Peer Mediation Program. In 2000 the school closed its doors for a week after a violent incident that left students and staff struggling with a way to deal with the problem of violence.
One of the strategies that Cole Harbour adopted was the Peer Mediation program. Linda Thieu was one of the founding members of the program and served as a mediator until her graduation. She said, "Our principal said. if we were to have one more big fight, our school would be shut down. Our peer mediation program which brings students together to talk about their problems is what has kept the school together."
– Hetty Van Gurp, Peer Mediation: The Complete Guide to Resolving Conflict in Our Schools.
Youth at Promise
CMS is also doing work with youth beyond school walls. Another initiative we are developing is the Thermostat program, designed to equip "youth at promise" with skills to deal with conflict using respectful, non-violent and creative tactics. Wendolyn Schlamp-Hickey worked on phase one of this project, accumulating educational resources, developing the project idea and getting ideas from youth on what the project should look like. There has been a great deal of community concern about the issue of youth violence and CMS attended several conferences focused on that issue in the past few years. We will continue to build the Thermostat initiative together with community partners.