|
WAVE promotes positive school environment
It's a conflict that sounds all too familiar—two
girls get into an argument over a boy during lunch. The
student aren't talking to each other and their mutual
friend feels torn. The disagreement may be common enough
in a school setting, but Schuylerville's solution isn't
run of the mill.
Resolving the problem
"When we see that people are disagreeing or having a
conflict, we tell them that they need peer mediation,"
says Ashley Nevins, a Schuylerville student who
volunteers in the district's WAVE (Working Against
Violence Everywhere) program. To
resolve the conflict, the girls agree to mediation. Both
are brought into a room with two student mediators
present. They have the opportunity to talk about the
problem confidentially, without name-calling or fear of
action from school administrators.
Ashley gives an example of using a technique that has
been termed "I feel...when statements" to help clarify
their feelings. In this case the statement might be, "I
feel angry when you talk to my boyfriend."
"Sometimes the disagreement can go on for so long that
the parties forget what the original issue was even
about," Ashley comments. "In many cases, the peer
mediation ends with both parties laughing about how
things got blown out of proportion. It's just a matter
of talking things out."
The many faces of WAVE
This peer mediation experience is just one of the
components of the district's WAVE program, which began
in 1996 under the guidance of The Prevention Council of
Saratoga County. "When we started, we
were providing anger management and violence prevention
training in the classrooms. The student participants
were enjoying themselves so much that they wanted to
expand the program," explains School Nurse-Teacher and
WAVE Advisor Pam Driscoll. "WAVE now has many different
components—for example, leadership training, mentoring,
community service and peer mediation. The WAVE
activities have a positive impact because students are
working directly with their peers, rather than having a
top-down approach." WAVE is open to
all students, with participants from each grade level
focusing on specific issues. Ninth graders are trained
in conflict resolution and violence prevention;
sophomores are taught to be peer mediators and 11th and
12th graders focus on "the issues of the day," such as
dealing with controlling relationships. Representatives
from The Prevention Council return to the district each
year to provide training on a broad variety of topics.
"We have many students in WAVE who teachers may not
ordinarily identify as leaders. They've blossomed in the
program and we've benefited by having diverse
personalities who can reach more kids in the building,"
says Driscoll.
Role models
Even when WAVE members aren't working on a specific
project or training, they're still having a positive
impact. "WAVE participants are role
models in the hallways and classrooms," Driscoll says.
"They help set the character and tone for our building
by their actions." Ashley agreed,
adding, "We're also learning skills that we can use
everyday. For example, as you get older, you need to be
able to tell others how you feel. WAVE helps you learn
to do this. It's a skill you can use so often."
Reaching out
The WAVE members are equally committed to leadership
training and volunteer work. "The community service
aspect of WAVE has become very important," Driscoll
says. WAVE students help out at a
variety of district events, act as mentors for
Schuylerville Elementary School students and provide
leadership training at regional and state conferences.
Additionally, participants have purchased and wrapped
holiday gifts for needy students, answered phones during
public television fundraisers and hefted hammers to
improve homes for low-income residents.
"WAVE is good for the students and good from the
community," Ashley says. |
