WESTERN BUREAU — Twenty-three students drawn from the Merlene Ottey, Ruseas and Green Island high schools in Hanover have successfully competed a 40-hour mediation training course, offered by the Hanover Mediation Centre.

As part of their training, the students were taught alternative dispute resolution techniques, which included mediation. In addition to learning how to facilitate conflict resolution among peers, the participants learned good communication skills and effective negotiation techniques.

According to the executive coordinator of the Hanover Mediation Centre, Katherine Mates, the programme got under way in January following discussions with principals and guidance counsellors concerning the level of violence and other negative factors affecting students.

“We hear everyday of problems within the schools; of indiscipline, of poor communication skills, poor behaviour and of violence. And so in Hanover we would like to be proactive in tackling these issues. We would like to offer the students an alternative to dispute resolution and conflict management before these issues come to the violence level, where they have to be severe discipline cases,” Mates said.

She added that the project also seeks to give the students basic life skills, communication skills and decision-making skills.

The executive coordinator said the centre plans to take the programme to the junior high and all age schools in the parish as soon as resources are available.

“But in the meantime the centre will continue to train students at the high school level. We plan to train more students every year to replenish the panel of mediators in each of the schools. During the summer term another 30 students will be trained,” Mates added.

The first batch of students who participated in the programme will graduate at a ceremony at the Lucea United Church of God, on April 4.

The Hanover Mediation centre was launched nearly five years ago with a mandate to provide mediation service to residents of the parish and to educate them about conflict resolution and management.

Funding is being provided by a grant from the British High Commission, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the Hanover Charities and other charitable organisations.

Since its inception, volunteers at the centre have visited more than 100 venues to discuss conflict resolution and mediation.

The centre has so far, offered counselling to more than 3,000 persons in the parish.

“In addition to this, the centre has issued news- letters, posters, flyers and we are presently working with health centres and various churches where we show videos on conflict resolution and mediation,” Mates added.