Teaching Conflict Resolution Skills to Our Children

Although conflict resolution is a process that can benefit people of many different ages, I have always believed that exposing children to conflict resolution techniques is of supreme value to our society. The mission of The Conflict Resolution Education Network underscores that belief by describing how training in conflict resolution contributes to the overall social and emotional development of our children as it reduces the incidence of violence and disruption in schools.

The web site for The Conflict Resolution Education Network (CREnet)can be found at http://www.crenet.org/. The site explains that CREnet, a product of the merger of the National Association for Mediation in Education (NAME) and the National Institute for Dispute Resolution (NIDR) in 1995, is composed of educators, academics, students, and other organizations and individuals who serve and work with youth. For those interested in joining the network, the fees for various membership categories are listed on the site.

As a part of its effort to provide support for groups designing and operating conflict resolution programs, CREnet has developed "Recommended Standards for School-Based Peer Mediation Programs" and also maintains the "largest collection" of resource materials in the conflict resolution field.

For anyone interested in research in the field of conflict resolution, the site also provides statistical data related to the effects of conflict resolution on the behavior of children in school settings. The material indicates that the presence of conflict resolution programs in schools generally results in more harmonious environments and improved academic performance. The site also includes links to research reports and fact sheets produced by other organizations and individual researchers.

Under the site topic entitled "Mailing Lists," there is a long index of links to other web sites in the field of conflict resolution. For the student of conflict resolution, this list would be reason enough to visit the CREnet site. The links inlcude organizations, academic programs, government programs, international sites, and mediation practitioners.

Until next time...

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