Center's program recognized as Promising Practice

Oakland Mediation Center (OMC), which has been providing Peers Making Peace to local schools since 2005, is proud to announce that The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has recognized Peers Making Peace as a 2012 Promising Practice. CEP awarded 297 Promising Practices to schools, districts, and organizations from across the United States, as well as from Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, and Mexico. "These practices showcase so many creative and unique ways of dealing with challenges educators face each day," said Lisa Greeves, manager of the Promising Practices program. "CEP is proud to recognize these educators and to give them an international platform upon which to share their hard work." This year's winning practices include unique anti-bullying programs, successful integration of academics and character, self-motivation and goal-setting strategies, service-learning activities, and community outreach. CEP sponsors an annual program to showcase innovative best practices that are having an impact across the nation and abroad. CEP encourages educators with similar needs to learn from and even replicate these successful initiatives. CEP will honor the 2012 recipients at the 19th National Forum on Character Education, to be held in Washington, D.C., Nov. 1-3. Peers Making Peace is a school based peer mediation program for elementary, middle, and high schools. Oakland Mediation Center is the only entity in Michigan credentialed to train school staff in Peers Making Peace. The comprehensive training for staff and students is largely experiential and highly interactive. In addition to introducing and enhancing critical mediation skills, participants learn and practice fairness, self-discipline and interpersonal skills. Trained mediators use their new knowledge to help peers resolve conflicts and reduce school distractions. The program is easily replicable, applicable to all youth environments, self-sustainable and affordable. By exhibiting non-judgmental care and respect for others in school, the mediators model behavior that easily rubs off on their peers, having a dramatic impact on the school culture. Moreover, as students do the bulk of the work in resolving their peers' conflicts, teachers can concentrate on teaching and students can concentrate on learning. Evaluation outcomes include: 73% drop in expulsions; 90.2% drop in assaults; and 57.7% drop in discipline referrals. OMC's Executive Director Bonnie Hanes said, "What school wouldn't want this program and these outcomes for their students and staff?" To learn more about Peers Making Peace or other school based programs, contact Kenzi Bisbing, Youth Services Manager, at (248) 338-4280, Ext. 216, or kbisbing@mediation-omc.org. Oakland Mediation Center is a private non-profit organization that has served the community since 1989 by providing mediation services for individuals, businesses, courts, schools and agencies; 40-hour Civil, Domestic and Advanced Mediator training as well as conflict resolution, peer mediation, bullying prevention/intervention, and restorative practices in schools. Visit OMC's website at www.mediation-omc.org. Published: Wed, Jun 27, 2012

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