OSCE Mission to Skopje organizes international conference on mediation in schools
A regional conference on mediation strategies in schools started on 10 October 2013 in Ohrid. The conference was organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje in co-operation with the forum Civil Peace Service (forum Ziviler Friedensdienst) and the Ministry of Education and Science.
Around 75 participants from the Ministries of Education, schools, universitiesand civil society organizations in the region are participating in the event, aimed at strengthening regional co-operation by comparing approaches to school mediation and peace education. Participants are examining different mediation practices and exploring how to promote mediation as an alternative, non-violent conflict resolution tool in schools over the course of three days.
Discussions are focusing on how to put into practice mediation strategies that are led by the students themselves, developing curricula for peer mediation, and how to use mediation to overcome differences arising from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Strategies for preventing and reducing violence in schools are also being considered.