Peer Mediators have proven to reduce antisocial behaviors in a school setting. The students are trained and empowered so that they can resolve a lot of their own conflicts and issues. In our training held at Lake Retreat Conference Center, students gained an understanding of anger, what causes conflicts, the role of the mediator, and the mediation process. Through role playing and professional instruction, the students practice mediating. In mediation, the goal is to work out differences constructively.
Mediation provides schools with an alternative to traditional disciplinary practices.
Students involved in this process, either as mediators or disputants, learn a new way of handling conflict. In mediation, trained students help their classmates identify the problems behind the conflicts and to find solutions. Peer mediation is not about finding who is right or wrong. Instead, students are encouraged to move beyond the immediate conflict and learn how to get along with each other - an important skill in today's world. Peer mediators ask the disputing students to tell their stories and ask questions for clarification.