East Cheshire celebrates peacebuilding in schools
East Cheshire Area Meeting last week organised a special conference in central Manchester, to celebrate the peer mediation programme they've been successfully running with schools across Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
The Peace Pathways initiative is run by East Cheshire AM in collaboration with the Quakers in Britain (QiB) Peace Education team.
"We offer the programme to all primary schools across the region, teaching children how to help their friends resolve conflicts without fighting or arguing," explained Gill Alcock from East Cheshire AM and one of the operational leads for the Peace Pathways programme. "When youngsters have a disagreement, they can ask trained peer mediators (other children) to help them talk it out. This helps everyone understand each other's feelings and find a solution together."
More than 50 children from Greater Manchester and Merseyside have completed their training this year, with many of them heading to the conference in Manchester to be awarded their certificates.
"Peer mediation is invaluable in the classroom, helping children learn important skills like listening, empathy, and problem-solving," explained Ben Harper, the Peacebuilding in Schools Coordinator for Quakers in Britain. "When young people can resolve their conflicts peacefully, it makes schools and playgrounds happier and calmer places to be. Everyone feels safer and more respected. In addition, by working together to solve problems, children can strengthen their friendships and learn to appreciate each other's differences And of course, these skills are useful not just in school but throughout life."
Peer mediation has also been found to boost a child's confidence and reduce bullying by encouraging young people to talk about their problems instead of resorting to hurtful behaviour.
"This collaboration between East Cheshire AM and the peace education team is a brilliant example of how local Quaker communities can have a dynamic and long-lasting impact on young people and the societies they will go on to influence," said Alison Tarpey-Black, Local Development Worker for North West England. “It demonstrates how Quakers continue to make a difference in the world, in this instance by empowering young people to find peaceful resolutions to conflict."
Quakers work closely with the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) to support the growth and development of peer mediation across Britain by promoting peer mediation with educators, policy makers and politicians, recruiting and training more people who can train children to be peer mediators, and working with trainers to develop and extend good practice.
Click to find out more about the Quaker Peer Mediation programme here
If you, your local meeting or area meeting would like to get involved in this area of work, contact your Local Development worker or email peermediation@quaker.org.uk