Mediation is a way of solving or managing conflicts between students in the school environment, which is also applied in our school. Specifically, at the beginning of each school year, a group of about 20 students are trained to mediate in order to resolve student differences, with the actions of those involved themselves and without the intervention of teachers and parents. In this way, students practice dialogue, learn to deal neutrally and calmly with disagreements that arise among them, and come to negotiations with those students with whom they have fallen out. At the same time, they learn to activate themselves in order to participate in establishing relationships of cooperation, mutual support and mutual acceptance, while at the same time their self-activity is promoted without the intervention of others. As a result, incidents of violence and punishment in the school community are reduced, social skills are strengthened, teamwork is cultivated and skills such as inclusion, empathy and self-esteem are developed.
The teachers responsible for the Mediation Action in our school are Ms. Katsouli Zetta and Mr. Kominos Dimitris.
Description of the Mediation Process
The Mediation Process begins with a meeting of the 2 mediators with the 2 parties in dispute, who, after being informed in detail by the mediators about the whole process, present their views on the issue between them. This is usually followed by 1-2 meetings between the mediators and the students involved in order for the mediators to help the students communicate with each other, passing suggestions and counter-suggestions back and forth, but always with their consent. The role of the mediators is to ask the two conflicting parties the right questions to help them express the reasons for their differences, as well as their feelings. An essential element of mediation is objectivity, because mediators are not allowed to show favor to either side. At the end of the process, the mediators draw up a record of reaching or not reaching an agreement, depending on whether or not the students reach a resolution of their dispute. The protocol for reaching an agreement includes, among other elements, the resolution agreement and is signed by all participants in the process.