In October 2017, WPDI began delivering a series of conflict resolution trainings to 33 sixth grade students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Compton, California. Throughout the course, students learned about peace, and explored the many facets of conflict. The course enabled students engage with one another through art projects, interactive activities, and role-plays to explore themes in conflict resolution. WPDI’s CRE trainer covered topics such as communication, problem-solving, and underlying needs. Students also learned about the importance of collaboration, team-work, and the importance of listening to one another.
At the conclusion of the training, students commented that they liked the workshops. One student, Natalia, commented that she liked learning that conflict is not always bad, and the class was a way for them to learn about themselves. Bakari said that he liked learning about peace, conflict, needs, and problem-solving. Ashley stated that there are “so many ways to solve a problem, and we need to think outside the box and not always end things in conflict.” Another student, Ganlyah, said that she liked “solving problems, learning how to listen, and brainstorming.” Overall, students were able to grasp the basic concepts in each of these ideas, which is not an easy for that age. The series of workshops concluded in early January 2018. This completes WPDI’s third year of engagement with MLK Jr. Elementary School and TurnaroundArts California (https://turnaroundartsca.org/).
