Resolving school conflicts through Peer Mediation in Sweden

1
Resolving school conflicts through Peer Mediation
in Sweden
Medling i skolan Projekt i Norrbottens län

• JurLic. Linda Marklund

2
Legality

• The UN convention for the rights of children
• The School law
• School circulars

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• In the Nordic countries RJ and mediation are
  heavily influenced by Nils Christies article from
  the 1970 Conflict as property.
• Since then five principles has evolved, they are
  that mediation should be facilitative, peaceably,
  freely, confidently and restoratively.

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The Five Nordic Pinciples

• Freely all participants are there freely and
  should participate and interact with each other
  in a free manor all through the mediation. The
  core principle!
• Peaceably all use of force, threat and other
  means of wrongdoings are amiss. Mediation a Peace
  movement on a grass root level. The intention
  with the mediation is to transform the conflict
  before it escalate further.
• Confidently Before, during and after a
  mediation confidentiality rules. Nothing said in
  the mediation should bee used against a part
  outside the mediation. The confidentiality is
  also a mean for creating an open, trustworthy and
  honest environment as possible.

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The Five Nordic Pinciples

• Facilitative In harmony with Nils Christies
  thinking the mediator should be a layman , a peer
  to the parties not a professional. The mediators
  roll is to be a facilitator. The mediator should
  not offer solutions, evaluate or give judgements
  over or for the parties. The mediator should be
  neutral and unbiased, lead the process not the
  result.
• Restoratively - Through the transformative
  aspect of the mediation it works restoratively.
  The mediation should be focused at the relation
  between the parties not the issue.

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Peer Mediation i Sweden

• Financiers
• County administrative board in Norrbotten
• County health board in the Norrbotten
• Municipality union of Norrbotten
• Luleå Technical University
• The 14 Municipalities of Northern Sweden

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Purpose of the project

• Its a project that aims to transform the working
  environment for everyone in the schools for the
  better.
• Prevent and preclude bullying
• Being a fast and cost efficient conflict
  management program. Cost efficient not only in
  the money sense, but in feelings and needs as
  well.
• To teach students and everyone else what feelings
  are and how they could be handled.
• To teach the students how to solve conflicts
  themselves without having to resort to violence.
• How to distinguish between a person and his/her
  actions.

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Through our work we

• Encourage young people to take charge of their
  own conflicts and not letting the grownups in the
  school become conflict thieves.
• Help students and educators see conflict in a new
  and more positive way.

9
Through our work we

• Teach students, educators and others the skills
  to resolve conflict peacefully.
• Educates the community in a new way to look,
  handle and resolve conflicts.
• Provide students, educators and others with the
  knowledge, experience and the materials necessary
  to integrate a new way of conflict resolution
  into their professional practices, their
  curricula, and their personal lives.

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Training

• Whole school ½-2 days
• Mediator coordinators 32 days
• All students 1 day
• Peer Mediators 15 h
• Peer mediator meetings 1/two weeks
• Net work conference 2/year
• Principals, school leaders/politicians for the
  municipalities 2-4 times a year

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Conclusions good and bad

• Peer mediators have gotten better self esteem and
  has evolved a greater respect towards other
  individuals
• Parents have been sceptical since problem solving
  traditional lies with the grownups.
• Difficulties getting teachers to let go of the
  conflicts.
• The school organisation from 310 to 179
• Number of conflicts has been constant but the
  types of conflicts has changed
• Precluded bullying
• Cooperation with the victim offender mediation
  services
• More time for the school personnel to do other
  than resolve/handle conflicts

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Contact information

• Linda Marklund
• Telephone mobil46(0)70 2565414
• work 46(0)920 4916 17
• Linda.marklund at ltu.se

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A Touch of Sweden

• Lagom Not too much and not too little.
• Yes, you know the idea, but you don't have one
  little word for it.
• Swedish weapon industry Bofors sell weapons to
  any country as long as they promise not to use
  them.
• Ombudsman A man or a woman appointed by the
  government to protect the people against the
  government.
• Klämdag An excuse not to work. It means if one
  or two days are squeezed in between holidays,
  they are klämdagar, squeeze-days, and why should
  we work on those days when we don't work on the
  holidays surrounding them.
• Kask 50 coffee and 50 vodka. Coffeebreak and
  party at the same time
• Allemansrätt The "all mans right" Gives
  everyone in Sweden freedom to walk around on
  everyone's properties. As long as you don't walk
  into a "Militärt skyddsområde" which means
  Military Protected Area of course.
• Industrisemester July is not a good choice if
  you want to visit Sweden in business. Sweden is
  closed for vacation. But come back in August and
  we'll help you again.
• Radhus A Swedish semidetached house is as near
  as lagom you can come in real estate in Sweden.