Year-End Wrap Up

by David Ayala

As the school year comes to a close, our Peer Mediation students are ready to reflect on the past year and look forward to a new future. In many ways, the past year was no different than any other. We had several successful mediations that pushed the boundaries of empathy and neutrality, but we came away from them with a better understanding and appreciation for the mediation process. We met new people and helped students who would have otherwise never had a safe outlet for conciliation if it were not for Peer Mediation. Indeed, it was a very typical year for Peer Mediation, but don’t let yourself overlook the personal triumphs and growth that make each successful year uniquely brilliant in itself.

This year we trained more than 30 students at King Drew High School and continued a program that has been embraced by the King Drew community with optimism and enthusiasm. On the other end of the spectrum, we began a Peer Mediation program from scratch at Lynwood High School. The delicate blend of spices required to create the Peer Mediation soup was prepared for Lynwood; we hope that this year has given the Lynwood community a taste of how students empowered to constructively engage conflict can be beneficial for all.

This past year we attempted several new projects as well. We helped train parent activists at Lynwood in conflict resolution. We attempted to start a dialogue circle at King Drew that dealt with student’s experiences with issues of racism, gender, and class discrimination. We worked with the Gay-Straight Alliance club at King Drew to help create bridges of understanding and empathy. Though our success varied in degree, we welcomed the opportunity to try new things and approach conflict resolution through a new lens of thought and execution.

As we close out the year, I would like to take a moment to put a spotlight on our graduating seniors. They truly stepped up this year on all levels and helped me acclimate to their respective schools’ climate. They exhibited a degree of maturity and wisdom that will serve them well in their future endeavors. A few of our seniors expressed sadness at the thought of leaving their peers behind, but they quickly jumped at the idea of applying their conflict resolution training at the community level. Future interns are born! One of our students moving onto college expressed his desire to become a probation officer for youth on account of his own life and how “close to the edge” he once was. It makes me proud to have worked with young men and women that are ready to be compassionate participants in their community. I wish them all the best and look forward to starting another “typical” year with Peer Mediation this Fall :).