Last Friday, we told you about the 6-day workshop that Restore Belize organized for teachers and school administrators. It's called Developing Safe Schools, and last week, the focus was on how these educators could connect with Belize City children who live with the trauma of gun violence and the gang culture.
The training ended today, and in this part of the professional development workshop, the focus was on conflict mediation. Now, as viewers are aware, talking things over in a civil manner isn't exactly the norm of how today's Belizean youths address conflict. There is a tendency to resort to aggression instead, and tensions may then escalate to violence.
So, in order to try and reverse that culture, Restore Belize, the facilitators, and these participants have been discussing how they can implement conflict mediation in the school system. We stopped by and spoke with the organizers of the event:
Anna Banner-Guy - Communications Officer, RESTORE Belize
"The training is very important that we're having for the past week, concluding today. Since last week, it's 40-hours of conflict mediation, where teachers will be building their capacity as it relates to resolving conflict, particularly within their classrooms and their schools."
"From Restore Belize's perspective, we're responding to the violent crimes, and the increase in crimes in the communities, particularly in Belize City. So, the training aims to really look at a very important dynamic in conflict, where we all come in conflict each day, but in particular, to pass on the skills and methods to the youth, particularly in Belize City, as to how to resolve conflict in a peaceful way."
Taheera Ahmad - Facilitator
"What we spent quite a bit of time this week focusing on was the stages of meditation, and they're 6 stages of mediation. The pool of cohort that we have here, the participants, they're primarily teachers, and persons in management at the schools. So, we have principals and vice-principals here. And one of the challenges we recognize here in Belize is to somewhat introduce the concept of mediation to our population. Our style of addressing conflict in Belize is not - it's very different from conflict mediation. What we're accustomed to is, for instance, a more dictatorial approach in addressing problems. So, rather than parties or disputants resolving the problems together, amongst themselves, we're usually accustomed to maybe calling the principal, or calling the vice-principal for discipline, or probably even taking it to the police, or even to the courts. And so, this training is primarily to introduce this new approach to addressing problems."
"From the onset, we realize that there is this cultural barrier that we have in addressing conflicts. We weren't taught to sit and engage with our opponents, as such. We're taught to take it outside, to vent, or to somehow become violent and aggressive. And so, what we're emphasizing with our participants is to say, listen, conflict is a normal part of life."
Abigail Hoare - Vice Principal, Sadie Vernon High School
"Sensitizing people, exposing people to this new alternative is the way to go. So, I really love the idea that Restore Belize, UWI, all those organizations, they're bringing in different sectors of the society who are open, and they are training them. So, my advice would be for every organization or institution, contact Restore Belize. Get your staff involved; get them trained because what it does is it will transform our society."
Anna Banner-Guy
"At restore Belize, knowing that the mission is being accomplished by the enthusiasm of the teachers and how well they're receiving this training, they cannot wait to pass it on to their students. As they have been mentioning, they have different disciplinary approaches already in school. And learning these techniques will allow them to better implement strategies that will allow their students to be more in the classroom, less on suspensions, and more visible and active as a positive part of their class, school culture, and community."
The workshop is a collaboration between Restore Belize, and the Ministry of Human Development, Social Transformation, and Poverty Alleviation.
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