School Mediation Programme as a Tool for Prevention of Violence at School

Abstract

Violence and aggression are increasingly more often happening also at school. Physical aggression is used by pupils to solve various conflicts. Violence is also reflected in tormenting and bullying of the peers. This paper shows a method used in violence prevention at school, namely mediation, both school mediation and/or peer mediation. Mediation teaches you how to resolve conflicts constructively, without the use of force, based on dialogue and cooperation in order to find a win-win resolution for both parties. School mediation programmes are the tool for resolving not only specific school conflicts, but also a way to develop communication skills of the whole school community and a chance to change the attitude to conflicts: switching from competition to cooperation and creative searching for the common conflict resolution.