Since 1987, The Peace Center has worked with more than 70 schools throughout Bucks County, Philadelphia, and New Jersey to implement conflict resolution, peer mediation, and peace education programs and workshops.

Project PEACE for schools is a unique, comprehensive approach to peace education and violence prevention that promotes a safe school environment and encourages optimal learning through academic and social growth. Training is offered to administrators, educators, support staff, students and parents with continued follow-up and support over a three to four year period.

Designed as a Training for Trainers model, Project PEACE begins with the selection of violence prevention or peace teams composed of teachers, administrators, support staff, parents, and students. The teams meet monthly with Peace Center trainers and are empowered to serve as leaders in creating safety for their school. The school will then be self-sufficient in continuing the program.

Project PEACE meets the individual needs of your school based on data collected in a needs assessment questionnaire. Peace Center staff and trainers in consultation with Dr. Sandra Bloom, a leading psychiatrist and President of the Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility, developed this comprehensive violence prevention approach. The programs incorporate Dr. Bloom’s Model of Public Safety, Deborah Prothrow-Stith ‘s Public Health Model, and the work of Alan Creighton and Paul Kivel on safety, healing, liberation, and justice.

Based on evaluations in pre and post tests conducted by an independent team of researchers from Lehigh University, Project PEACE programs have made a significant difference in reducing school violence. Conflict resolution training creates opportunities for students to develop effective and positive interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, creative thinking, and problem solving strategies. Additionally, it promotes an environment of trust and cooperation, a sense of community, and cultural awareness.

This peace education initiative sends a strong message to the entire community that your school values peaceful resolutions to conflict in collaboration with the safety and well being of teachers and students.

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PROGRAMS

 

The programs offered by The Peace Center trainers run longer than the workshops and training portions. They usually run over the length of a semester or an entire school year. Although Peer Mediation is taught over 15 hours and can generally be completed in 2, 3, or 5 days, we meet monthly with the peer mediators and complete at least one refresher course.

Leadership Development: Middle/High School

The goal of this after school program is to empower students to achieve a specific and defined goal (i.e. community project) accomplished through guided, open discussion, facilitated activities and role-plays. This work would all center on conflict resolution themes, specifically geared toward group and community (i.e. middle school, high school, negative/positive leaders). Topics covered are:

• All the ‘isms’ (adultism, racism, sexism, heterosexism)
• Peer pressure
• Body image
• What it means to be a leader
• Skills to improve leadership abilities

Cost depends on number of weeks and number of hours per week.
The program can be scheduled to run 1 to 2 hours per week.

Peer Mediation: Grades 4-12

Mediation is useful in a wide variety of conflicts, particularly in the aftermath of an incident, at the point when emotions have eased enough that the parties can begin to negotiate. The participants resolve problems, let go their sense of grievance, and mend broken relationships. The process helps people find answers to at least some of their concerns and walk away emotionally relieved, with an agreement that they will uphold. These skills are demonstrated through interactive activities and several role-plays in which the students play both mediator and disputant. The training covers:

• The mediation process
• How to make schools safe (physical, psychological, social, and moral safety)
• Exploring conflict
• Communication skills
• Appreciation of similarities and differences in people

Fee includes 15 hours of training with monthly follow-up and a refresher course.
The Peace Center maintains an extensive collection of the most current conflict resolution curricula as well as a library of books and videos on the theory and practice of managing conflict and preventing violence. We are members of the Association for Conflict Resolution, (a merged organization of AFM, CREnet, and SPIDIR) and the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs, to help you evaluate current curricula and programs, and to tailor programs to fit your schedule and budget. We also offer short presentations and thematic overviews for the workshops and trainings offered depending on your school’s need.

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WORKSHOPS AND TRAININGS

Creating Peaceable Classrooms: Elementary Level

Teachers and educators will experience activities and curriculum, which will show how to infuse the values and concepts of creating sanctuary in the classroom by implementing:

• How to handle bullying and name-calling
• Classroom Meetings: group problem solving
• Peace Corners: creating an appropriate place for students to resolve conflicts
• Check-in’s and Check-out’s: a form of identifying feelings

Fee covers a two-day workshop and also explores other problem-solving techniques.

Creative Discipline in the Classroom

This one-day workshop for teachers demonstrates a unique way of working disruptive students within the classroom setting. This workshop was inspired by the work of Dr. Irwin Hyman, author of School Discipline and School Violence. Topics include:

• Techniques for dealing with disruptive behavior
• Identifying the root cause of disruptive behavior
• Identifying your personal style of discipline and problem solving, and using it to your advantage
• Resources for continued support

Fee covers a one day training.

Respecting Me, Respecting You – A Bullying Prevention Program: Grades 2-5

The Respecting Me, Respecting You program is designed to introduce specific ideals and concepts to students to address the challenges and effects of bullying.  It focuses on building emotional awareness, empathy, and responsibility, all within the context of developing and demonstrating respect for self and others.

Through stories, activities, and role-plays  students will learn how to:

• recognize emotions (their own as well as others)
• practical ways to manage their anger or upset
• how to intervene when they witness bullying behavior
• learn the meaning of self-respect and self-care
• how to use language to express their emotion
• problem-solve when faced with conflict

Fee covers eight weekly 45-minute classroom lessons.

Celebrating Me, Celebrating You

The Celebrating Me, Celebrating You program is designed as a follow-up program to our bullying prevention program, Respecting Me, Respecting You. This program reinforces the lessons of RMRY by focusing on building emotional self-awareness, classroom community, and empathy among students while introducing concepts of tolerance, diversity, and practice with upstander tools to intervene in bullying behavior. The program is delivered in five 45-minute classroom lessons, taught by experienced educators from The Peace Center.

During the sessions, we introduce children to prevention concepts and provide time for students to engage with the material we present. However, teacher involvement is the most important factor in ensuring that our program has a lasting impact.  Administrators and teacher’s endorsement and reinforcement of the skills, language, and activities we introduce to students will greatly increase the students’ level of understanding and ability to acquire new skills.

Through activities, discussion, stories and crafts, students will learn how to:

– Create stronger classroom community
– Identify and manage their emotions
– Explore and understand their own identities and those of others
– Analyze and interrupt assumptions
– Identify and challenge stereotypes
– Develop stronger self-esteem and empathy for others
– Practice respectful dialogue and strong communication skills

In an increasingly diverse world, it is essential for students to begin learning about diversity and acceptance from one another at an early age. Fear of difference is often the root of bullying behavior, just as it is the root of discrimination and prejudice. By teaching students to accept themselves and one another, and to stand up when witnessing intolerance, we can give them the tools to participate in a diverse world with courage and kindness.  .

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Nelson Mandela

Bullying Prevention: Elementary Level Teacher Training

This program supplements our Respecting Me, Respecting You program as teachers and staff learn strategies and skills to resolve conflicts peacefully and build community, ultimately reducing bullying and teasing. This training focuses on interactive activities that encourage students to express their emotions constructively and develop respect for themselves and others. Skills are developed in the following areas:

Effective communication

• Empowering youth
• Active listening
• Building trust and respect
• Problem solving
• Conflict Resolution

Fee covers one 8-hour day or two 4-hour days.

Respecting Our Differences: Grades 5-12

Conflict results when students have difficulty understanding one another’s differences. Classroom enrichment activities help students understand and benefit from their diversity. This workshop is geared towards students, but can be modified for staff. Topics covered are:

• Cultural awareness
• Reducing prejudice
• Cross-cultural communication
• Exploring assumptions and stereotyping

Fee covers a 4 hour training.

Anger Management: Grades 5-12

This workshop examines how people can resolve conflicts when angry. The knowledge and skills that students can expect to acquire upon completion of the course are an understanding of where anger comes from and how to deal with anger in a productive and functional manner. Topics will include:

• Roots of anger
• Developing an emotional intelligence
• Reacting vs. responding
• Creative and non-violent alternatives for resolving conflicts
• Basic conflict resolution skills will also be discussed as tools for managing anger

Fee covers a 4 hour training.

The Peace Center maintains an extensive collection of the most current conflict resolution curricula as well as a library of books and videos on the theory and practice of managing conflict and preventing violence. We are members of the Association for Conflict Resolution (a merged organization of AFM, CREnet, and SPIDER) and the Pennsylvania Council of Mediators.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss your needs, to help you evaluate current curricula and programs, and to tailor programs to fit your schedule and budget. We also offer short presentations and thematic overviews for the workshops and trainings offered depending on your school’s need.