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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.

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