A Discipline Life (ADL) Peace Justice Training
Perspectives-Calumet Middle School students participate in a dialogue regarding conflict resolution with Noah Mediation Services and the Center for Conflict Resolution.
Ben Levine
Over the past two weeks seventeen students at Perspectives-Calumet Middle School Academy (Perspectives) have undergone an intensive conflict resolution-training program led by Noah Mediation Services and the Center for Conflict Resolution. The seventeen students were selected amongst applicants, each of whom expressed a desire to help their school reduce potential conflicting situations that would result in unwarrented behavior both during the school day and afterschool hours as well. Michael Kristovic, Perspectives’ social worker and Erica Young, a Unversity of Chicago social work intern are heading the training program.
Throughout their training, students are learning methods to facilitate dialogue to encourage students to reach agreements in the hope of preventing conflicts between students from escalating into larger and more dangerous disputes. Students have taken part in a half dozen role-plays thus far simulating conflict negotiation. With the help of coaches from the Center for Conflict Resolution, students hone their facilitation skills so that students with arguments are better trained to resolve conflicts between students. Additionally, each session students are given new skills to work on and personalized feed back on how they can become better mediators, helping to create a culture of calm within their school.
A few Perspectives-Calumet Middle School students help strategize and prevent potential conflicts amongst their peers.
Ben Levine
The twenty-four hour training will commence with a graduation ceremony at an all-school meeting and each student who successfully completes the program will receive a certificate of achievement, qualifying them as ADL Peace Justices.
Once they have graduated, students will run Perspective’s conflict resolution program called, Middle Ground. Middle Ground is a service provided to all students at Perspectives and is used to resolve a variety of disputes between students at the school. Students are encouraged to attend sessions by their teachers whenever they develop a conflict with other students in their classes. When students attend Middle Ground, they develop an agreement, committing to resolving their disputes.
Currently, Mr. Kristovic and Ms. Young lead these sessions. To date the program has been very successful and expects that additional student mediators will join and expand this network, leading to even fewer conflicts throughout Perspectives.