The aim of the conference was to introduce mediation through workshop approaches on the various dynamics of mediation within society. The EMU Promoting School Project offered a workshop on Peer Mediation. The second session on the 29th April 1997 in the City of Edinburgh Council's Education Department indicated that there was a need among educators to hear more in detail about peer mediation. The EMP Promoting School Project offered two workshops which placed an emphasis on work with adult school communities and infant children as a prerequisite to peer mediation. Jerry stressed that peer mediation in Northern Ireland as elsewhere develops within a context of the troughs and peaks of the worlds outside, and in a sense has to carry on regardless.
Children are capable of helping each other resolve conflicts.
Peer Mediation does improve the quality of relationships and behaviour. The involvement of the whole school community is vital to a successful partnership. He underlined that mediation was more about the future than applying blame and punishment. But it is not sufficient to do this work vicariously through the children. To adapt the famous saying - the skills of our sons and daughters have to be visited on their parents, we can't wait for the next generation to do it for us.