Peer Mediation
My name is Leah Carrell and I am in Year 12 at Garin College, Nelson where I am involved in a number of sports, arts and service activities. At the start of 2006, Year 12 and 13 students were given the opportunity to apply for training as a Peer Mediator. I often have acted as a sort of ‘mediator’ among my friends and peers because I like helping people find ways of appreciating themselves and others. So to be an ‘official’ Peer Mediator sounded like the thing for me! I applied and was accepted, as one of a group of twenty students.
Peer Mediation helps students resolve conflicts, realise what is wrong and work out between themselves what can be done to put things right. Principally, Peer Mediation encourages students to talk to each other so as to work out together ways to reduce upset and tension. It normally involves at least two sessions, with a follow up session about a month after the first to make sure that the students have lived up to what they have said.
Peer Mediators have a very important role in the school community, so it is essential for them to be well trained. Mark Leach, a specialist counsellor and mediator, was perfect for that job. He has great knowledge and understanding, and he passed this on to us over two training sessions.
We watched a video of a mediation and discussed it amongst ourselves. He took us through the steps in mediation, the Dos and Don’ts and then some practice role plays.
On completion, we were presented with our Peer Mediator badges at a special assembly. The badges help students to know who we are. If they need our help, they either approach us directly or through a teacher. I have been asked for help once directly by students and once via a teacher. In each case the Peer Mediation was successful.
I think Peer Mediation is extremely effective in resolving issues between students. Students know it is confidential, so they feel comfortable defining the problem and coming up with their own solution.
Teachers like Peer Mediation because resolving conflicts helps students become more focused on their classroom work, and relieves some of the pressure on teachers attempting to cope with unhappy or unruly students. It also helps to build up relationships and provides good role modelling between junior and senior students.
Peer Mediation has taught me a number of skills that I also use in my life and relationships with friends, teachers, fellow students and people in the wider community. I feel I have learnt a lot of valuable skills and appreciate this. It’s good to make a difference.
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