Dr. Angela Miller of mediationnikan.com in conversation with Natalia and Mac of olowskapierre.com discuss the necessity of bringing mediation skills to schools to educate children as young as 13 years of age till they are adults (8 grade till 12 grade). The time of adolescence is crucial when learning to resolve conflicts in an amicable manner as these are the moments when the children are appreciating of their peers' views more than those of the adults, like teachers and parents. Teaching mediation skills to the youngsters not only enables them to solve the conflicts by themselves but also equips them with the skills they will take outside of the classroom - like active listening, avoiding prejudice and understanding and accepting differences. It also produces the effect of calming down stressful situations in the school territory and outside of it in any peer groups leading to better anger management and improving social skills. Angela shows how this should be the mediator's initiative as part of their community service and how it will benefit long term the individuals themselves and their environment: families, communities, workplaces.
