'Restorative Approaches in Secondary Education' workshop by Southwark Mediation Service
The real joy of this workshop was the frank and dynamic presentation by the young people who were members of the Peer Mediation Service at Bacon's College.
The background to the work was provided via a video. In spite of the fact that the sound quality was variable, this gave a clear picture of the selection process; training and debrief.
The mediators present demonstrated excellent understanding of their role as shown in the video as well as the safeguards in place and of the support service provided for them.
They explained how the service had developed and how they had earned the trust of their fellow students. We also gained access by personal testimony to some of the differences being a mediator had made to the people present.
The young people explained the mechanics of how the service is run and how well it is used in Bacon's College. The issue of referrals was discussed and interesting points were raised. The effect of being a mediator on academic performance was another interesting discussion topic. The training received by the young people was accredited.
Finally, the use of mediators outside school and the effect on the college were explored. The young people present had worked in their community with some success and they all felt that the existence of the Service inside school had led to a 'problem solving' culture.