Recruit New Mediators

One of the biggest challenges to any crime prevention program operated by youth is a high turnover rate among volunteers. Peer mediation programs are no different. Your mediation program will eventually lose its mediators as these trained volunteers graduate from high school, get paying jobs, move on to college (perhaps out of the area), or simply get too “old” to be youth mediators. They may remain an asset to your program by training new mediators or continuing to volunteer their time, but they will no longer be peers of your community’s youth. Thus, it is vital to keep recruiting and training new mediators to continue and expand your program.

As you recruit mediators, explain to them what it means personally to be a mediator. Resolving disputes fairly requires putting aside one’s own judgments and feelings about an issue, facilitating discussion and factfinding, being positive, listening carefully, and offering encouragement.

Provide Ongoing Training

In addition to training new mediators, it’s important to provide refresher and skills improvement training to current mediators. Mediators should have opportunities to share their abilities and experiences and learn from one another. This is a good way for mediators to develop new skills.

Demonstrate and Share Your Program’s Success

It’s important to be able to demonstrate your program’s success. Positive information about the results and effects of your program is critical to proving that the program has had an impact and deserves continued (or increased) support. Publicizing positive results will also help you recruit new mediators and disputants and attract additional resources to improve and expand your program.

Recognition by the community is also vital. Mediators and other volunteers need to know that their efforts are appreciated and valued, not just by the program, but by the community as a whole. Placing an article in a school or community newspaper, posting thank you letters from disputants, and scheduling public celebrations are good ways to recognize volunteers. Providing T-shirts, hats, or other such “uniforms” with your program’s logo or motto printed on them can also help build a strong group identity and a sense of teamwork.

Youth in Action Bulletin

March 2000     Number 15