As part of Youth Violence Prevention Week, Roosevelt High School students showcased a new space centered around providing students with the chance to receive help from a peer in a safe environment to mediate issues to prevent escalation to possible violence.
The unveiling highlighted a two-year collaboration between Multnomah County’s Community Adolescent and Health program and Roosevelt’s Peer Mediation class, which is the only such peer mediation class in Portland Public Schools. The County has supported the students in getting a space in the school. The space was developed using a Bureau of Justice Assistance STOP Violence in Schools $15,000 grant.
“It’s important for Multnomah County to use their funding streams to support projects like this,” said Nicole Mayer, County Student Health Centers Project Manager. “These students were already doing powerful work in their community but needed that extra support to obtain a broader, more impactful reach.”
“Violence is preventable and peace is possible,” said Health Officer Dr. Richard Bruno. “Roosevelt's Peer Mediation Room is an example of what a safe environment can look like where conflicts can be resolved peacefully and healthy relationships can thrive and be supported.”
The idea for the Peer Mediation class came from Roosevelt’s Student Equity Council four years ago. Teacher Kiera Asay then reached out to her students, proposing the opportunity for a way to help their peers. 27 students are officially confirmed as mediators. The room is staffed with some combination of a teacher and a peer mediator for most, if not all, hours of the school day.
“These students lead with their hearts and make such a positive impact in our school community,” said Asay. “I am honored to do this work alongside them. These spaces are unique because students are not only holding space for one another in emotionally mature ways, they are also modeling for one another non-violent ways of moving through conflict.”
Training for this program is rooted in restorative justice and has included community building, de-escalation strategies, active listening, empathy-building, problem-solving, conflict resolution and role play. Mediators set group guidelines, walk students through restorative questions about intent and impact, and allow students to share what they feel and need.