By Dr. Charlene Berquist, Director, and Heather Blades, Associate Director
Given the current public health situation, the Center for Dispute Resolution (CDR) is offering all of its school-age programming online via Zoom video-conferencing through the end of 2020. It is hoped that these live, virtual program options will fill a need for students by encouraging positive connections and providing excellent learning outcomes while protecting the health and safety of youth and facilitators alike.
The CDR has several program offerings to meet the needs of youth and their families. Read on to learn more, or download a program brochure.
Conflict Workshops
In the CDR’s online Conflict Workshops, youth join college-age facilitators for fun, interactive sessions. These workshops incorporate play with learning to help kids understand and manage the conflicts they face. Workshops focus on topics such as:
- “A Recipe for Conflict” (the causes of conflict).
- “Managing Conflict with Style” (exploring conflict styles)
- “Keeping Cool in Conflict” (the role of emotions in conflict)
Circles for Girls: Talking Circles
Circles for Girls is an 8-10 week structured educational group for young women.* It brings together a group of 6-8 girls with trained facilitators to explore topics relating to social, emotional, and physical well-being. This fun, interactive program is designed to help girls realize their strengths, withstand social pressures, and maintain healthy relationships. Circles for Girls offer an active, thoughtful, creative, and respectful experience for young women that inspires and empowers them to them to achieve their goals.
The curriculum of each group varies, but typical topics include
- communication skills and conflict resolution,
- body image,
- healthy relationships,
- decision making and goal setting,
- bullying, and
- peer pressure, among others.
Circles for Girls provides a space where participants can celebrate what it means to be a girl while absorbing information and exploring topics in a meaningful way.
Guys’ Gathering: Talking Circles
Guys’ Gathering is an 8-10 week structured educational group geared specifically for boys and young men.* These talking circles gather 6-10 guys with trained college-aged facilitators to explore topics relating to social, emotional, and physical well-being. The fun, action-oriented program helps guys explore how to communicate more effectively, appreciate the diversity of others, uncover their unique strengths, develop leadership skills, and connect with the important people in their lives.
Weekly topics are adjusted based on the needs and age of the group and may include the following:
- connecting with others,
- healthy competition,
- bullying,
- managing differences,
- teamwork, and
- being a “real man,” among others.
Guys’ Gathering Circles offer a unique environment where guys can engage in an honest and respectful exploration of their own unique identities while connecting with others and building leadership skills.
Peer Mediation & Coaching
The Center for Dispute Resolution supports the “Student Conflict Response Team” program, which offers peer mediation and conflict coaching in several area middle and high schools. *
- Peer mediation is a private process where a neutral mediator, using conflict and communication skills and a structured process helps two or more students in conflict talk about their differences and work together to find a solution.
- Conflict coaching is a one-on-one process where a peer coach helps a fellow student understand their conflict and develop interaction strategies and skills.
CDR support includes providing training for selected students within the schools, followed by ongoing mentoring of these middle-schoolers and high-schoolers by trained volunteer Missouri State students. This program offers University students an exciting opportunity to mentor budding conflict coaches and peer mediators in the public schools. Volunteers take part in extensive training and then assist with selected cases in these schools and coach and support high-school and middle-school students.
For More Information
For more information on how your child or kids at your school can get involved in any of these programs, please contact the CDR’s Director Dr. Char Berquist by email or at 417-836-8831. The CDR also offers organizational support services that include trainings, workshops, and facilitation, as well as a variety of services including mediation to assist families and their children in managing conflict more effectively.
*All programming will be offered virtually online via Zoom video-conferencing in the Fall of 2020.