New School Understanding Services to be launched in Chernihiv Region

As soon as the winter holidays began, another mediation training course for school students in the Chernihiv region started. This time, Chernihiv College No. 11 and Chernihiv Specialized Comprehensive School No. 2 joined the participation in the “Safe School” project.

A week before the training “Basic Skills of a Mediator of the School Understanding Service”, presentations were held for students in grades 8-10 of educational institutions on the implementation of restorative approaches to resolving conflicts in the school environment. Participants were selected who not only expressed a desire to participate in the training, but also enjoyed authority among their peers at school.

Restorative practices have a powerful socio-pedagogical potential. Recently, they have been introduced in educational institutions to develop children’s skills in resolving conflicts peacefully, reducing conflict, preventing delinquency, juvenile delinquency, violence and aggression.

Thus, in schools, within the framework of a restorative approach, it is appropriate to apply mediation practices and circles.

Thanks to the model of involved learning, with constant discussion, creative tasks, group work and creative presentation of information, all participants in the training “Basic Skills of a Mediator of the School Understanding Service” showed attentiveness and considerable activity during all 4 days of training.

In addition to gaining knowledge and mastering mediation skills, students and social educators from selected schools developed their own communication skills, which are necessary for mediators, shared with each other their experience in resolving various conflict situations that arise at school and beyond, jointly discussed similar situations, and developed recommendations for behavior and response during a conflict.

We would like to remind you that the purpose of the training course “Basic Skills of a School Mediator” is to train student volunteers who will be engaged in resolving conflicts among their peers on the basis of the established school mediation service.

School mediation service

is a team of trained high school students-mediators who, under the guidance of a social educator or psychologist, help their peers resolve conflicts peacefully and work to create a safe environment in the educational institution. To achieve this goal, mediators use restorative practices – peer mediation, mediation of conflict situations, decision-making circles, family group meetings, training exercises on developing conflict resolution skills, etc.

According to the trainer and program manager of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

Kateryna Dankova

, during the training, already trained student mediators from schools where mediation services have already been created and are functioning are also involved as trainers. This helps to share experiences, successes and difficulties between participants and create a favorable atmosphere for the training.

Traditionally, upon completion of the training, all participants in the “Basic Skills of a School Understanding Service Mediator” training received certificates.

The project is implemented by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights with the support of the Canadian Foundation for Local Initiatives.