New York City Commission on Human Rights

The Commission's Newsletter 2006 Edition Page 4		Contents \| << Back \|
*High School Peer Mediators Attend CCHR’s Are We Cool?* Conference**
On December 1, 2006, the City Commission on Human Rights held a unique one-day conference for 200-city high school students who are practicing peer mediators in their schools and their faculty advisors. The conference, Are We Cool? A Conference for Peer Mediators, built on the mediation and conflict resolution skills that head off serious conflict in the schools. It also gave the students the opportunity to meet other student mediators to share some of their experiences and success stories. Joining Commissioner Gatling at the event was Mark A. Willis, Executive Vice President of Community Development at JPMorgan Chase. Chase provides supportive funding for the Commission’s Peer Mediation Program and also funded the Are We Cool? conference. The conference took place at JPMorgan Chase’s lower Manhattan offices. The conference workshops were conducted by CCHR staff and members of: NYC Department of Education, Association for Conflict Resolution of Greater NY, Creative Response to Conflict, Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium, NY Center for Interpersonal Development, and the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings – Center for Mediation Services.

Student peer mediators participate in one of the two workshops provided at Are We Cool? A ConferenceFor Peer Mediators. This exercise teaches students how to communicate with other students from different backgrounds.

		Commissioner Patricia L. Gatling kicks off Are We Cool? A Conference For Peer Mediators at the JPMorgan Chase offices in Lower Manhattan.

Adneri Ponce, Deputy Director of the Commission’s Queens Community Service Center and a conference trainer, explains a mediation exercise during the conference.
Chris Walter, Deputy Director of the National Technical Assistance at the Center for Court Innovation and one of the conference trainers, addresses 200 city high school practicing peer mediators and faculty advisors prior to the Are We Cool? workshops. The one-day conference provided the group with additional mediation training.