Young Peacemakers share their hopes at Manchester’s first Peer Mediation Conference
“It's helped me because when someone is not being nice and kind to me, instead of just snapping […] it's helped me to actually back away," Zak, Year 6 peer mediator.
Toby, Year 6: “[Being a peer mediator] has helped me to calm myself down when people are […] being mean and it's helped me to focus a lot more on trying to do good things."
These children were among around 50 young peer mediators who gathered on Friday, 11 July, at the Mechanics Conference Centre in central Manchester to celebrate and strengthen their commitment to peaceful conflict resolution.
Aged between 9 and 11, the children came from primary schools across the northwest to take part in this pioneering peace conference - the first of its kind in the Manchester area.
Listening, empathy, creative thinking
Throughout the day, the young participants used their well-honed skills of listening, empathy, and creative thinking to share experiences and exchange ideas.
Together, they imagined how their mediation skills might help improve not only their schools but their wider communities and even the world.
“We brought primary school children from different schools together and they can see that it's not just their school [doing] peer mediation […] they are part of a movement," said Gill Alcock of Peace Pathways, who helped organise the event.
Peer mediators, typically in Years 5 or 6 in England and Wales or Primary 6 or 7 in Scotland, play a vital role in helping fellow pupils resolve conflicts during break and lunchtimes.
The children were joined by local councillor and peace activist Erinma Bell, who commended their dedication to resolving conflict peacefully.
Ben Harper, national co-ordinator for peer mediation at Quakers in Britain, said: “Against the backdrop of so much local, national and international conflict, it was life-affirming to be with children who show the skills and commitment to a more just and peaceful world."
“Quakers in Britain have committed to supporting the growth of peer mediation in schools across the country, and this conference in Manchester brought together schools who have embraced this recently," he added.
Throughout the event, the children were supported by volunteers, many of whom are members of Quaker meetings across the northwest.