Program Overview
What is the Conflict Manager Program?
The Conflict Manager Program, our peer-to-peer mediation model, trains selected students as active problem solvers for a range of disputes: gossip and rumors; friendship, cliques, and exclusion; name calling, stereotyping, and harassment; bullying and tattletales.
Who are Conflict Managers?
Conflict Managers are specially chosen and trained students who help other students get along with each other. These selected students often reflect the racial, ethnic and academic diversity of the school. When students become involved in a non-physical dispute, they are asked if they would like Conflict Managers to help them solve their problem. If the disputants agree, the Conflict Managers assist them by using a problem solving process that helps to clarify the nature of the dispute and to reach a solution satisfactory to all disputants.
What do Conflict Managers learn?
Conflict Managers learn and practice:
+ Expanded language and communication skills
+ A problem-solving technique applicable to many situations
+ Empathy
+ Teamwork
+ Awareness and appreciation of difference and diversity
+ Leadership and role-modeling skills
What types of issues do Conflict Managers mediate?
+ Miscommunication - gossip, rumors, “he says, she says”
+ Misperceptions - looks, stares, bumps
+ Relationships - friendships, cliques, romantic (boyfriends/girlfriends), exclusion
+ Personal property - missing, borrowed or damaged items; limited resources
+ Money - lent, borrowed, owed
+ Power imbalances - bullying, tattletales, gossiping
+ Cultural/Economic differences - name calling, stereotyping
How are Conflict Manager Programs implemented?
Schools may implement its own Conflict Manager Program in two ways:
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1) Purchase of Community Boards' training materials.
Our implementation and training guides for elementary (grades 3-5), middle (grades 6-8), and high (grades 9-12) school students are now in their 4th edition. These guides were developed for those with no previous training experience. Each guide contains everything needed from implementation to ongoing program maintenance. Our training model recommends a 6-hour training for elementary students and a 12-hour training for intermediate and high school students. See our publications for more information.
2) Contract with Community Boards to train students or staff
We also offer several training options. We hold 2-day and 3-day Institutes in San Francisco. We also customize on-site trainings for directly training students or training selected adults as trainers. See our trainings for more information.
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