When students are in safe learning environments and are emotionally connected, they can better focus on academics and personal development. These are some of the many reasons why conflict resolution education enhances both intellectual achievements as well as social and emotional wellness among youth. With 900 students already reached, the program is currently mid-way through its 3-year pilot phase.
The Domestic Harmonizer Program spans all 3 years of middle school and is guided by an innovative curriculum that is infused with California’s Common Core State Standards for social studies, science, math, and English. The curriculum was co-written by WPDI and CSUDH. Through this unique curriculum, students learn to analyze conflict in multiple facets and apply solutions through creative thinking, problem-solving, and team work. As a result of this program, educators at Carnegie learn about conflict resolution concepts and skills, and they in-turn instruct their students how to problem-solve, innovate, and collaborate in their academic courses. The Domestic Harmonizer Program recently added a new component, a peer mediation program, that is supervised by the school’s counselors and led by a group of 7th and 8th grade students who were trained by WPDI and CSUDH in mediation.
This partnership will help WPDI complete the pilot program at Carnegie, develop a series of educational animation videos that highlight each module in the curriculum, and begin the process of replicating the program to two new schools in mid-2019.
