Bulletin

Issue: September 2004

News

Peacemaking starts in the playground

By October 2006, a thousand young peacemakers - each one trained in conflict resolution skills - will be enhancing relationships between children, teachers and parents in five Victorian primary schools.

And hopefully, their peacemaking skills will be used throughout their lives to make Australian society more peaceful and tolerant.

This is the aim of a two-year project - based on techniques developed at La Trobe University - to be launched this October.

Called 'Enhancing Relationships in School Communities', the project has been developed, and will be supervised, by a five-person team. Much of it is based on a conflict resolution model developed by La Trobe staff in the School of Psychological Science, including Dr Eleanor Wertheim.

Dr Wertheim is working with Ms Elizabeth Freeman, Ms Pat Marshall and Dr Ann Sanson of the University of Melbourne and Ms Margot Trinder of Psychologists for the Promotion of World Peace, an interest group of the Australian Psychological Society, and the Brencorp Foundation. The Foundation has supported the project with $63,000 for two years.

The project assists primary school teachers to help students learn to deal more effectively with issues ranging from everyday friendship conflicts, peer pressure, conflicts between groups of students, bullying and aggression and conflict with teachers and parents.

Dr Wertheim says conflict and differences between people are part of life. They make for an interesting and changing world and provide opportunities for learning and growth. However, if differences between people - particularly between children - are not accepted or are handled badly, there can be negative consequences.

For children, poorly managed conflict can result in bullying and aggression, increased classroom disruption, heightened anxiety, early school leaving, intolerance and racism.

Under the program, teachers from schools in multi-cultural areas will be taught conflict resolution skills and then supported over two years. The teachers will then pass on their skills to pupils so that by the end of 2006, 1,000 students will have effective conflict resolution skills.

The program includes active listening, perspective taking, challenging assumptions and stereotype and consensus building.

Dr Wertheim said the conflict resolution model used is based on the Harvard University Negotiation Project. It has been developed for Australian conditions by Dr Wertheim and Dr Anthony Love, with colleagues Dr Lyn Littlefield and Dr Connie Peck.

Dr Wertheim is also helping develop posters for schools and other places where children gather. 'Our aim,' she says, 'is for children to become empowered and skilled in conflict resolution so that eventually our whole society is proficient at resolving conflict constructively.'

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