POLAND
Peer Mediation for Integrated Abled & Disabled Students
The Raoul Wallenberg Integrated Primary School of Warsaw is one
of the few schools in Poland in which disabled and abled students
learn together in a shared environment. The school also offers programs
on tolerance for different ethnic, national and religious groups.
Because of its openness to new ideas and emphasis on tolerance,
the Wallenberg School offered a perfect venue for Partners-Poland's
pilot Peer Mediation Program. The Wallenberg School places special
emphasis on promoting disabled students’ participation in
all aspects of society, and the Peer Mediation Program was designed
to assist disabled and abled students in communicating effectively,
understanding one another, and resolving their conflicts peacefully.
Partners-Poland began by training 15 teachers in conflict management
skills, enabling them to become student advisors. The teachers and
Partners-Poland staff then conducted short mediation presentations
in each classroom, and recruited potential mediators from among
the student body. Of the 300 abled students and 44 disabled students
who participated in the overall program, twenty-six students, both
disabled and abled, completed the rigorous training program to become
peer mediators. Partners-Poland staff worked with disability experts
to design the program so that it would meet the needs of all students,
with special attention to the specific communication skills, sensitivities,
and physical needs of persons with disabilities.
To date, Wallenberg students have successfully mediated cases ranging
from typical schoolyard conflicts to multi-party disputes on how
to use money collected for homeless animals. A survey conducted
by Partners-Poland demonstrated that many students are using their
new conflict management skills on a daily basis. According to Danuta
Bozentowicz-Sarna, principal of the Wallenberg School, "We
see Partners-Poland's Peer Mediation Program as the next step in
preparing our students for responsible and mature participation
in community life. This program will create opportunities for our
students to resolve conflicts peacefully."
The program's popularity attracted the attention of local businesses,
who showed their support by designing a program logo and slogan
for posters and brochures, and producing brightly colored mediation
T-shirts for students.
|