What is Peer Mediation?
Peer mediation is a process in which students trained in communication and mediation skills facilitate people in conflict to find a resolution. Peer mediators do not take sides, nor give solutions to the parties in conflict, but help those in conflict find a solution they can live with.

What is the effect on the school?
The effects on the school will vary depending on who you talk to (students/staff), but the over all results have been very positive. The number of fights have dropped dramatically. But the program is also being used to solve such things as classroom conflicts, rumors, and your everyday "he said she said" problems which might escalate into more serious or physical fights. By providing a way for students to discuss and resolve conflicts that they otherwise may not have had the chance to correct, the PPI program has improved the general student atmosphere.

How does a student become involved in PPI?
In order for a student to become part of the PPI program he or she must first put in an application for an interview. After putting in an application the student will be called down and interviewed by staff member in charge of the program.  If he/she feels that the student has the qualities necessary for conflict resolution then the student is recruited and then goes through the PPI training program the following fall.

What kind of training do Mott students receive?
Before being given the responsibility of managing a conflict each PPI member must first go through a weekend long training program. Even a returning PPI member from last year must go through the program again to refresh their memories and improve management skills.

PPI camp is the most important part of a new members conflict management training. The experience that they receive here will prepare them for the challenges they will face as soon as they get back to school.

The weekend starts off by separating in to even groups with two or three adults and two senior PPI leaders. Once we organize into our groups and pass out the name tags we begin the actual training. The program itself starts out with showing the participants the importance of team work and good listening skills (shown at right) by giving and receiving specific directions.

From there we cover ways of receiving none verbal communication, which can be very helful in resolving a conflict. After covering the basics we go over the importance of facilitating a safe environment for the disputants to convey their issues. We do this by establishing and enforcing rules for the behavior that takes place during the mediation. The steps in the mediation are as follows:

Steps to Peer Mediation:

1. Mediators introduce themselves (usually a boy and a girl)
2. Mediators explain the rules of mediation and disputants' sign rule agreement
3. Mediators ask each person (one at a time) to tell their side of the conflict. At this time the people in conflict only speak to the
4. After each disputant tells their side of the conflict, the mediators ask them to talk    each other (sometimes disputants can't do this)
5. Mediators ask each disputant what they would like from the other person.  The people in conflict come up with their own solution.
6. Mediators thank the participants for coming to the mediation and tell them they will check up on them.

After we have learned our parts and responsibilities for mediating we practice mock mediations. The mediations are very similar to those that the new mediators will encounter in real life at Mott. As the recruits practice, any of the accompanying adults and/or previously trained mediators give pointers, advice, and provide a good example of how to manage a conflict (shown at left).

The weekend concludes with an exercise to show how we are all connected and must work as a team. After this weekend each newly trained and retrained mediator will be on call every school day to help solve any student conflicts. Even though each student has the option of not participating in a conflict due to an important class or involvement with one of the disputants, each student is generally expected to be able to assist in most of the mediations requested of them.

Conflict Resolution Resources for Schools and Youth

The Community Board Program, Inc.
1540 Market Street, Room 490
San Francisco, California 94102
(415)552-1250