A Summary of the Dilemma: Angel, one of very few "out" gay students at his high school, has applied to be a mediator. The team of veteran peer mediators who interviewed Angel gave him a poor score. The coordinator, who knows Angel well and feels he would make an excellent addition to the mediation team, is concerned that unacknowledged homophobia prevented the mediators from considering Angel.… read this issue >>

How much time is required to coordinate a peer mediation program? Well, that depends upon who you ask (and how much money is in their budget!).… read this issue >>

I have long known that peer mediation is practiced outside of North America. But, like most of us, I largely attend to my own small corner of the world, consumed with the unique challenges and victories I experience here. Last month, however, I lived what felt like a marvelous dream: People from every corner of the globe — speaking countless languages, displaying every skin tone, in a variety of regional dress — gathered together to share their experience teaching young people to live in peace.… read this issue >>

With more than two decades of practice under our belts, seasoned peer mediation practitioners generally agree on the fundamentals of how to operate a peer mediation program. There are a few issues, however, about which disagreement is still profound. One is whether adult coordinators should remain in the room during peer mediation sessions.… read this issue >>

I always ask students to refer to me by my first name when I conduct peer mediation trainings. This is most comfortable for me. In addition, being on a first-name basis is a signal to trainees that we will be equal partners in learning (something that is especially relevant when teaching mediation, a subject fundamentally concerned with issues such as trust, power, and fairness).… read this issue >>

The following situation is based on one that was recently submitted to The School Mediator. Some details were changed to protect the identity of the school. Last week I was approached by our principal, Michael Weber, about a conflict that involves our girl's basketball team. He wanted to know whether we could mediate this dispute.… read this issue >>

A few weeks ago I learned that a peer mediation coordinator whom I greatly respect, I'll call him Constantine, lost his job. A model educator and all around great guy, Constantine possesses the qualities I have admired in many peer mediation coordinators: "off-the-charts" interpersonal intelligence, the ability to build caring relationships with adults and young people quickly, hardworking, compassionate and politically savvy.… read this issue >>

The more you know about something, the less you know about it. This expression captures my experience as a long-time mediator and mediation trainer. The more I learn about this work, the more I perceive gaps in my knowledge, gaps that I couldn't see when I knew less.… read this issue >>

How much time does it take for a mediator to "recover?" That is, after he or she mediates, how long before a mediator returns to their baseline emotional state and can give their best attention to the other concerns of their life? … read this issue >>