Featured Program: Lowell High School Peer Mediation Program

Program Established:     1991

Program Director:            Yvette Thomas

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Yvette Thomas, the program director of the Lowell High School Peer Mediation Program.  The program was implemented in 1991 and receives private funding from a local community college and the school department.

The program has been quite successful and is highly supported by faculty and administrators of the school.  Each year, twenty students (combination of sophomores or juniors) are selected into the program to be trained as peer mediators.  The students are recommended by faculty or show self interest in the program.   Occasionally, Thomas will see a student who shows potential during mediation and then see if they have interest in joining the program.   Thomas takes pride in supporting a diverse staff of peer mediators and boasts approximately fifty peer mediators on staff currently. 

The mediations take place in Thomas’ office, which has a private office for caucus, should the occasion arise. While all student mediators are trained, Thomas supervises all sessions.  Referrals for mediation come from a variety of sources, some are self referred, while others come from teachers, staff, or friends.  The referrals are then assessed for mediation and then primed for the program or sent to traditional discipline or the crisis center.  Almost all instances of bullying and harassment are referred to the onsite crisis intervention center for review and handling.  While the program receives several hundred referrals each year, only about one-third of all cases referred pass through the process.  Currently, the school is undergoing a study of the outcomes of the peer mediation agreements derived from peer mediations.  An intern in the program will be reviewing the agreements and then interviewing the parties to the agreements to determine how effective the agreements were. 

When speaking about the program, Thomas indicated that challenges include timing of the mediations during the day and ensuring that all state requirements are met.  Thomas attributed the program’s success to the supportive administration which shines through the self-esteem and leadership of the students.

Read more about the Middlesex Community College Law Center which Lowell High School receives funding from here: http://www.middlesex.mass.edu/lawcenter/