Any tips for Mediating problems between urban adolescents?

Question

I am going to be mediating urban pre-teens. Does anyone have any advice for methods used?

Answer 1

Not sure re pre-teens---but I worked with acting-out 3rd and 4th Gr boys from an industrialized area with 40% sub-standard housing. Lots of fights/arguments etc. I did a summer school where this group was assigned to me for a modified psycho-drama class. (I'd studied under Zerka Moreno). There were only 8 in each group for a 2 hr session. To encourage cooperation, I gave out 5 tokens to each at the beginning of each session. I stressed that they could spend them any way they wanted--rudeness=1 point spent; cursing= a point spent; BUT NO VIOLENCE! or they would be out. (Permission to stay in the class, I realized, became a reward in itself!) OR they could save them and purchase a danish w/5 pts; a pen for 4; erasure for 3...etc. I had to use a primary motivator--food--or it would have been pure chaos. Each person could choose to set up a role-play to direct and portray his problem. I had expected problems in the family--but it was always PEER PROBLEMS!" (School becomes a surrogate family to kids. They are at school far more than they were at home with the family!)---Get one to set up and direct HIS problem as he sees it. He chooses actors from the group. Reverse the play from the other kid's point of view. -------I audio taped the sessions (we didn't have video then--but how much MORE effective the video replay would have been!!) In the beginning, it was primarily NON-VERBAL! A lot of shoving, grunts and signs of "dislike". The balance of the group not in the play, would then give feedback after each play. We all would listened to the re-play of the drama and many times hearing reality, resolved many of the squabbles. The group finally settled on a basic: "TELL him!--Don't PUSH him!" Those who persisted upon physical communication, never earned a danish. Rage would erupt when a student realized that he'd spent all his tokens on disruptive bhr. I HAD to remain calm, "supportive" by saying, "Tha't all right...That's the way you wanted to portray the problem. Next time, you might want to try another way." (Their rage was expected to get the adult into an argument; afraid and give in to them; get the adult "upset" in angry rebuttle. (Make sure you don't have any chronic hitters!") The first session is always the toughest for everybody. The second session, they calm down some; keep more tokens to buy things at the end; and finally, their stomachs prevail by controling their disruptive bhr, and soon they all were saving their tokens for the danishes!! The plays were much more verbal; pursuasion became more used rather than threats; cooperation and fun developed--as well as self-esteem after presenting their plays and receving applause! ----The regualr reading teachers kept a bhr'al count of disruptive bhr's and as the wks went on, there was consistent decrease of acting-out bhrs and incr of productive bhr in the classroom. ---A GREAT SUMMER and TERRIFIC Principal who allowed and supported this experimental role-playing classes.------Basically, don't let the kids set you up as a judge!! They all unconsciously replay the Family of Origin dynamics in the classroom. Sibling Rivalry for the adult's attention, being the biggest issue for most.--GOOD LUCK! I'ts well worth the stress and work, to watch the development of healthy problem-solving!!