The Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme is a whole-school programme that teaches essential life skills for peaceful conflict resolution. The skills taught empower individuals to build positive, caring relationships with others especially when conflict arises over differences. Students from Year 4 upwards provide peer mediation support at lunchtimes with students rostered on to help on different days.

The purpose of the Peer Mediation Programme is to

• raise awareness of conflict and conflict responses.
• develop empathy so that individuals listen to each other with understanding.
• teach lifelong conflict management skills.
• develop leadership in giving service to others through peer mediation.
• empower individuals in making positive choices for building successful relationships.
• grow respectful, global citizens who value diversity and human rights

The benefits of Peer Mediation

• Uses students to act as third party between peers in conflict (disputants).
• Creates opportunities for disputants to do their own problem solving.
• Encourages empathetic listening.
• Uses effective questioning techniques to assist disputants to come to their own win/win solutions.
• Gets to the core of the problem quickly.
• Empowers students without teacher intervention.

Leadership Through Peer Mediation

A conflict resolution programme for secondary school students which empowers students trained as ‘mediators’ to take ownership in helping to resolve minor disputes among peers within the school setting.

The benefits of LTPM

• Students supporting students in helping to create a safe, respectful school environment.
• Students are empowered with skills to help prevent and deal with bullying behaviour.
• Peer mediation encourages students to find non-violent solutions to their problems.
• Teachers refer minor conflicts to the peer mediation service and therefore are less stressed.
• Promotes a student-owned and student-led service that gives student participants a sense of purpose, belonging and pride in their school.
• Resilience building as well as confidence-building for all students involved.