Dimapur, Nov. 11 (EMN): Commemorating World Science Day for Peace and Development, a peer mediation forum was launched at Peace Centre, North East Institute of Social Sciences & Research (NEISSR), Chümoukedima, on Thursday.
Addressing the students and faculty, NEISSR principal, Dr. Fr. CP Anto Paul, emphasised on the need of peer mediation among the youth especially college students, an update stated.
Peer mediation, in short was described as a conflict-handling tool which empowers the students to resolve any issues that might arise in a non-violent manner thereby leading to self-transformation and relationship building.
As the concept of peer mediation was quite unfamiliar to the students, Fr. Anto further elucidated that the members of the forum are known as peer mediators, who are trained volunteers to help others with problems through structured communication process in which the individuals or group with a problem, work together assisted by a neutral third party (peer mediator), to solve the problem. They are also being capacitated on various peace building and conflict transformation skills such as compassionate communication, empathy, mediation and problem solving skills, it stated.
Peer mediation forum would also help the members to improve their self-esteem, listening and critical thinking skills, and reasonably good emotional intelligence, he said.
Fr. Anto also put forward the steps of peer mediation, which could be broadly put as introduction, discussion, clarification, rectification, resolution, transformation and evaluation. He highlighted some of the advantages of peer mediation like how it helps to builds self-respect and encourages students to understand that their peers may have a perspective that is different from their own.
With peer mediation programme, conflict resolution skills are taught to the students, and selected students are provided additional training to become peer mediators, it informed.
Students would also develop mediation skills and are expected to solve problems or disputes on their own using these strategies; each participant has the choice to control the situation and resolve it in a productive way, helping students to come to a win-win situation.
Fr. Anto further added that training would be provided to the chosen students (peer mediators) to help them intervene during disputes and disagreements, while supporting the parties at disagreement to reach an agreement. The peer mediators work towards a win-win situation where both the parties come together and develop a solution that works for both, he said.
The assistant professor at NEISSR, Dr. Toli H Kiba, also highlighted the significant role Science plays in society and how citizens should broaden their perspective on making society more sustainable. She further urged the students to take pledge to reaffirm their commitment towards striving for a sustainable just society.