Students, parents and families, educators and school administrators live side-by-side in and around school and build a constellation of interpersonal and professional relationships.

In that context, mediation helps to regulate the interactions between people when conflict arises.

Mediation in school helps resolve conflict in a productive and non-violent way.

It concerns:

• Interpersonal conflicts among students
• Relationships between educators and students; families and school
• Professional relationships among administrators, staff, educators

It aims at preventing conflict and violence as well as responding to a critical crisis or dispute.

Prevention

Defining a prevention strategy based on the school needs, the available resources and the realities of each school

It can include:

• Workshops for school teachers and educators on amicable dispute resolution, and communication without violence 
• Teaching students with problem solving tools, conflict resolution skills and communication without violence 
• Promoting a culture of mediation and communication in school

Managing crisis or conflict

In some situation the mediator can directly intervene to help solving rapidly a crisis or conflictual situation:

• Professional conflict among staff and management 
• Disputes between families and school 
• Group conflict and harassment situation among student 
• In any other crisis where there are communication challenges and bottlenecks