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Restore Belize wants to show you how to solve conflicts. Today Restore Belize held its 3rd conflict mediation forum at the ITVET. School counsellors, principals as well as students delivered feedback on the progress of their conflict mediation efforts to see how the program can move forward and extend into the wider community. We spoke with two of the peer helpers and they told us that this program has had an impact on their classmates.

Sandra Cadle - Coordinator

"The schools are not solely responsible to keep students in school, we need to look at what are some support system the school have to ensure that - that happens. We also looking at the roles of social institutions in ensuring that students remain in school because we're all charged with that responsibility to do so."

Courtney Weatherburne

"Generally the main focus always is youth, making sure they're in school and that they can handle conflict or issues in their lives - personal and academic."

Sandra Cadle

"A part from in school youths, we're also looking at out of school youths as well. As you know we have serious issue in the streets and so we need to look at positive ways to respond to conflict situation. It's not only school based approach, we're also looking at unattached youths. On a whole how to bring young people together and to help them to resolve conflict in a positive manner."

Jocelyn Mehia - Peer Helper, Nazarene High School

"Conflicts and stuff like that, like friendship and relationship that students find their-selves in - they actually go and find out from other students. They don't actually help them out but sink them in more. So I recommend to them to find help from an adult who is a mediator to them."

Courtney Weatherburne

"But you also that role in terms of giving advice to your fellow students as a peer leader?"

Jocelyn Mehia

"Yes I do, I help them out, give them advice and for them to find a solution to their problems and how to solve it."

Ashanti Wade - Peer Helper, Edward P. York

"So far it has been working good. We've just started the programme and I know that students welcome it because they don't really want to start problems, they don't want to get expelled from school - so it's working well."

140 people have been trained under this program.