The PeaceKeepers course is a mediation program offering selected high school students the opportunity to work as trained mediators to help others on their own campus or on feeder school campuses to resolve their conflicts in a peaceful manner. The PeaceKeepers course is designed to provide a field experience to young people who are potentially interested in careers in education and/or related helping professions. Participants will receive 4 to 6 weeks of classroom training in skill building mediation activities. Positive peer influence through nonviolence will be a central strategy for addressing such issues as conflict resolution, anger management, low academic achievement, dropout prevention, negative attitudes toward school, behavior problems, resiliency factors against substance use and abuse, and other issues of concern in the school/district.
Essential Knowledge and Skills
The curriculum for the PeaceKeepers course will include instruction and training in the following essential
knowledge and skills:
· The role of the peer mediator/program orientation
· Anger management
· Understanding Conflict Dynamics
· Individual Responses to Conflict
· Limits and Boundaries of Mediators
· Stages of Mediation
· Listening for Feelings
· Methods for Validating Others
· Reading Non-Verbal Communication
· Using Good Questioning Skills
· Eliciting Needs from Others
· Maintaining Neutrality
· Group dynamics/teambuilding
· Self-awareness
· Confidentiality and liability issues
· Conflict resolution
· Communication
· Problem-solving
· Decision-making
· Knowledge of limits; when to refer
· Helping strategies
· Cultural Awareness
· Refusal Skills against ATOD
· Other Issues and Topics
· Basic principals of human behavior
The manner in which the curricular elements outlined above will be covered is to be consistent with the structure of the PeaceKeepers program already implemented in other districts throughout the state. Some elements may be modified to address the unique needs and concerns with individual schools and districts.
Course Goals:
The primary goal of the PeaceKeepers Course is to help other students resolve their conflicts in a peaceful manner enabling them to have a more positive school experience. The in-class training of the PeaceKeepers student will focus on the knowledge and skills they will need to accomplish this goal.
Ingredients for Success
Essential success factors for the PeaceKeepers’ course are:
· Strong district/campus support
· Quality training for teachers and students
· Clear goals and objectives
· Student commitment and ownership
· Faculty support
· Systematic supervision and evaluation of program participants
· Diversity of student participants
· Confidentiality
· Systematic recruiting and selection
· Rewards and incentives for the students
Scheduling
There should be a conscientious effort made to schedule the class at a time that maximizes the accessibility of PeaceKeepers students for mediations. Typically this period is either prior or during the scheduled lunches period.
Teacher Selection and Training
The teacher plays a primary role in the success of the PeaceKeepers course and great care should be taken when selecting the teacher. The teacher should be certified in an academic field or in counseling and have high levels of positive rapport and trust with the students. The teacher should also demonstrate an interest and understanding of mediation concepts. It is essential that the teacher attend a formal PeaceKeepers training provided and/or coordinated through paxUnited, so that the teacher can be effective in his/her role. Other duties of the teacher include, selection and training of the peer mediators, keeping documentation, student supervision and evaluation, scheduling the mediators, the formal and informal use of public relations to promote the program/course with the district and community, and campus-level and district-level coordination of the program.
The recommended Qualifications of a PeaceKeepers Teacher are:
· State teaching and /or counseling certification
· High level of trust and positive rapport with students
· Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with students and a commitment to the principal of youth responsibility
· Familiarity with basic concepts of mediation
· Ability to forge and maintain collaborative relationships with school personnel and community members
· Participation in PeaceKeepers training provided and/or coordinated through paxUnited
· Participation in opportunities for personal and professional growth through conferences and networking opportunities
Student Selection
The PeaceKeepers course is open to all high school students grades 9-12 and middle school students grades 6-8. A systematic and rigorous selection process shall be utilized, with the goal of selecting a diverse group of students who are representative of the student body as a whole. The potential peer mediators are ones who have demonstrated the ability to be good listeners, who are trustworthy, empathetic, caring, with a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative. PeaceKeeper students need not be on the “honor roll” or be “model” students in every area, as it is important that the PeaceKeepers’ class not be viewed as a class for the “elite.” However, PeaceKeeper students must be passing in all subject areas. Typically, PeaceKeeper students are viewed as positive role models for other students. Through much field testing of the optimum group size for program success, it recommended that the class size not exceed 18 to 20 students. This promotes group cohesiveness and provides for maximally effective training and supervision.
The recruitment/selection process for the PeaceKeepers’ class should include the following steps:
1. Solicitation of nominations from students and staff
2. Information session for nominated students
3. Formal application from interested students
4. Recommendations from staff
5. Structured interviews
These steps ensure that the students selected have the desire and potential to serve as effective peer mediators and that they will enter the course with the maximum level of motivation and commitment. Note: Once the program is well established, veteran PeaceKeepers students should play a role in the selection process, thereby instituting a continued continuity of commitment to the program’s success.
Components
There are 3 fundamental components in the PeaceKeepers Program:
Training
It is recommended that students receive a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks of in-class training prior to scheduling mediations for other students. Additional supplementary training can and should be provided during the course of the school year. Key essential knowledge and skills are:
· The role of the peer mediator/program orientation
· Anger management
· Understanding Conflict Dynamics
· Individual Responses to Conflict
· Limits and Boundaries of Mediators
· Stages of Mediation
· Listening for Feelings
· Methods for Validating Others
· Reading Non-Verbal Communication
· Using Good Questioning Skills
· Eliciting Needs from Others
· Maintaining Neutrality
· Group dynamics/teambuilding
· Self-awareness
· Confidentiality and liability issues
· Conflict resolution
· Communication
· Problem-solving
· Decision-making
· Knowledge of limits; when to refer
· Helping strategies
· Cultural Awareness
· Refusal Skills for ATOD
· Other Issues and Topics
· Basic principals of human behavior
Internship and Supervision
At the end of the training period, peer mediators are ready to begin mediations. At that time the teacher/coordinator will begin scheduling mediation teams for mediations during the scheduled class time. Once the students begin regular mediations, the PeaceKeepers teacher must provide them with regular, supportive ongoing supervision. In addition to teacher supervision, supervision and support from their fellow peer mediators is strongly encouraged. This regular structured supervision not only enables peer mediators to share with and learn from each other in connection with their mediation activities. It also helps with potential “burnout” on the part of the peer mediators.
Evaluation
Evaluation of student performance shall be conducted according to a number of criteria, including the following:
· Completion of basic course requirements
· Completion of special projects
· Performance on tests and examinations
· Class attendance
· Class participation
· Observable use of the acquired skills
· Assessment of Mediation skills
· Journal keeping
· Teacher evaluations and surveys
Program Evaluation
In addition to evaluating the performance of the students, teachers should conduct an end of the year formative and summative evaluation for the PeaceKeepers course. The evaluation should document program related activities and assess the impact of the program with regard to programmatic goals and objectives. It is recommended that teacher, student, and recipient surveys be conducted in order to provide an overall picture of how the program has impacted the school and district. paxUnited will also send an end of the year evaluation instrument to be completed by the teacher and returned to our office.