Tools in Network: an E-Net Approach to Sharing Mediation Competences.

School mediation settings

One of the most popular and efficient forms of school mediation is peer mediation, where students are asked to manage conflicts and reduce bullying behaviours in school contexts. Building a school mediation setting implies the following stages:

a) mediation awareness;

b) mediation training

c) supervision.

a) The preliminary stage of mediation awareness aims at illustrating the programme and inviting interested students to become mediation agents. Training is focussed on the change of cultural paradigm proposed to all students and their understanding of the benefits for their personal and social growth of a negotiation based model of conflict resolution. Their willingness to consider conflict as an opportunity for a better definition of relational rules and for personal enrichment through a greater insight into individual differences is elicited. The change of cultural paradigm is the necessary basis to opt for mediation any time a conflict of interest arises or un unpleasant accident occurs.

b) The stage of mediation training is preceded by the recruitment of mediation trainees. The would-be mediators can offer themselves voluntarily or be proposed by teachers or fellow students. Here are the relevant selection requirements (Bonafé-Schmitt, 1997):

1) willingness: nobody can be forced to assume such a demanding role involving the whole personality;

2) representativeness: selected students must be respected by their peers. Such requirement can be easily ascertained by assigning students problem solving activities during the stage of mediation awareness;

3) legitimacy of the selected students: once the training phase is over the role as school mediator must be officialized by explaining mediation access rules, the confidentiality requirement and the choice of a mediator who is unrelated to the relational subsystem of the counterparts.

Considering that trainees will not only need a theoretical knowledge of mediation methods, but also a practical know-how, the training programme shall offer theoretical sessions alternating practical sessions where participants will be able to simulate mediation meetings and learn to tackle the most typical obstacles in school mediation.

Once the training is over mediators can start practicing their competence. In most mediation programmes a joint meeting with two mediators is organized (mostly a boy and a girl for a more balanced case management should the conflict concern gender related issues).

- Opening phase: the conflicting parties accept and share some basic rules: telling the truth, listening to each other without interrupting, taking responsibility, confidentiality of the meeting;

- problem definition: each party tells his/her version of the story;

- sharing each other's mood: both parties are invited to express their fears, emotions and feelings;

- finding possible solutions: mediators encourage the parties to find an acceptable and joint solution;

- formalizing the agreement.

Some programmes require a supervision stage to complete training, to build the mediators' self-confidence and trustworthiness, to train them to learn from the difficulties they encounter. During the trial period the mediator beginner usually receives individual supervision on each mediation meeting he/she is appointed to. At a later stage, supervision becomes a refreshment session to improve acquired abilities and make them work also in highly critical situations.