The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is currently seeking support for their Youth Programs. Volunteers would support Peer Mediators, the Positive Peer Influencer Program and encourage local youth to develop the skills to resolve conflict successfully. Free training is available.
- Peer Mediators are students trained to listen and help fellow students develop solutions to conflicts. These students help make their respective schools more peaceful places to learn and grow.
- The Positive Peer Influencer Program is an innovative program made possible through a collaboration between The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team. The program is designed to help local teens make healthy choices and to educate them to the dangers of fentanyl. Positive Peer Influencers (PPIs) are trained high school students who act as positive influences on local middle school students by modeling good decision-making, speaking about how to navigate peer pressure, discussing the potential consequences of bad decisions and offering advice about how to make healthy life choices. The Positive Peer Influencer program is designed to encourage students to have courageous conversations and to create conditions that allow students to be influenced in constructive ways. PPIs are trained to speak to other students about positive decision making, strategies to respond to peer pressure and the dangers of fentanyl. The goal is to equip young people with the tools they need to make positive decisions that set them up for a bright, healthy future.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support Peer Mediators: Assist trained student mediators in facilitating peer mediation sessions, helping fellow students develop solutions to conflicts and create a more peaceful school environment.
- Encourage Positive Peer Influencers: Collaborate with participants in the Positive Peer Influencer Program, mentoring teens as they engage with middle school students. Help facilitate discussions on healthy decision-making and effective strategies for handling peer pressure.
- Promote Conflict Resolution Skills: Organize and participate in workshops or activities designed to teach local youth essential conflict resolution and communication skills.
Interested in volunteering with The Mediation Center's Youth Programs? Please contact Sherlisa Praylo at spraylo@mediationsavannah.com.
The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire is Savannah’s leading organization dedicated to helping citizens proactively manage conflict, creating alternatives to litigation and increasing access to justice. Honored in 2024 as a Best of Georgia Regional Winner for Mediation Services, this 501©3 nonprofit is committed to conflict resolution, de-escalation and fostering community health in coastal Georgia. Over the last 40 years, The Mediation Center has trained more than 500 volunteer mediators, conducted nearly 30,000 mediations and facilitated over 7,000 settlements. Learn more: mediationsavannah.com.
