What Is the Peace Keepers Programme?

Peace Keepers is a programme at Earl Kitchener school which teaches children to solve problems and to help other children solve problems. A Peace Keeper is a Grade 5 student who has been taught the leadership and problem-solving skills necessary to help other students resolve their conflicts peacefully in order to maintain a safe playground environment.
 

History of Peace Keepers at E.K.

Peace Keepers began in the winter of 1995. There were many indications of the need for a programme to help children solve problems at recess from surveys done by the Safe Schools Committee. A woman named Dr. Leslie Cunningham trained all the Grade Five students and several teachers. The Grade Fives learned listening skills, conflict resolution skills and how to record incidents. During the Fall of 2002, we revisited the role definition, the tracking procedures, the training for our Grade 5 students, and the information provided to the Grade 1 - 4 students about the programme. Our Grade Fives chose a new name, Peace Keepers, for what was previously known as the Peer Mediation programme. The revitalized programme got underway in December, 2002.
 

How it Works

At the end of each school year, Grade Fours "shadow" Grade Fives to learn how to mediate. Then the following year when they are in Grade Five they are the new Peace Keepers. Each Grade Five class mediates one recess a day. There are two Peace Keepers out at the 15 minute recesses and four at the lunch recesses. Each Grade Five student mediates one recess a week and the schedule changes every three months or so. 

Each time a problem arises, the Peace Keepers go through the following steps with the people who are having the problem: 

They ask: "Is there a problem?" and "Do you want to solve it?" 

If so, everyone involved moves to a quiet place then... 

• Everybody involved gets introduced to each other and the Peace Keeper will fill out a form
• The Peace Keeper states the ground rules
• Disputant #1 tells story and gets feedback
• Disputant #2 tells story and gets feedback
• Disputants search for a solution
• Disputants select a solution and if they can not find a solution the problem is referred to the office
• Close of  mediation

 What are the Benefits?

A Peace Keeper helps solve problems on the playground to make it a safer place. They take a load of trouble off the teachers and also allow more problems on the playground to be solved at one time. The Peace Keeper benefits by learning to understand how problems work and how to solve them. They are trained to be fair without taking sides, to try to understand the source of the problem and the feelings of the disputants. They strive to treat the disputants with respect and to model peaceful conflict resolution behaviours.

How Successful is it?

Our principal, Mrs. Rawsthorn, says it is successful and students respect the Peace Keepers most of the time.