Representatives from Peer Mediation and Skills Training (PMAST) – a program aiming to equip youth, families, and communities with the skills to manage conflict – presented to Airdrie City council an update on their recent initiatives and provided possible next steps to further support the community on April 4.
During the regular meeting, members of council provided their support for proposed initiatives and agreed to work with the group, but did not concede to any financial contribution at the present time.
According to Don Schapira, PMAST mediation trainer, the organization works alongside families and youth to deliver effective conflict management skills both in the “classroom and the living room.”
In 2016, PMAST received funding from the City of Airdrie's Family & Community Support Services (FCSS) to support programming at W.H. Croxford High School, where mediation counsellors worked with youth in support of conflict prevention, intervention, and reconnection for three years, noting positive outcomes.
“Today I stand before you to request further support,” Schapira said.
He added the positive results of the program were backed by data indicating students who participated in the program showed marked improvement on previous school attendance over a four-month period.
He noted those who received the training completed the program with higher attendance rates than the average student who did not participate.
“We’re talking about high-risk youth who are now showing better attendance,” he said. “This whole thing comes down to chronic absenteeism.
“If you miss two school days per month, you’ve just missed 10 per cent of your education.”
According to Schapira, PMAST continues to evolve, to adapt their programming and training material, and seek out new partnerships to better serve the community. He noted connections have been made with the Thumbs Up Foundation, Airdrie District Community Foundation, and other local groups.
“Anything that we could possibly do to give these kids the option for something better,” he said. “Our whole goal is to help bring communities together.”
Elizabeth Bennett, former principal of Good Shepherd School, cited during the meeting the success of a PMAST-inspired wellness symposium featuring a variety of presenters focused on mediation and conflict resolution that was held at the local faith-based school in Thorburn.
"It’s real life. It’s not just about statistics. It’s about things that are happening in our schools that really have an impact,” she said, retelling the account of a Grade 7 student who was impacted by bullying and was able to find strengthened resiliency and reconnection through the program.
“He has since done some really amazing things. He is now part of a mentorship program and is helping other students.”
In an effort to return to schools, Schapira said the program requires additional funding following a change in government contributions in 2018 that resulted in approximately $60,000 to $75,000 in annual funding.
While he did not make an official monetary request to council, he said their vocal support would go a long way toward successful grant applications and other funding avenues.
“We’re advocates for our program, which we know is missing from what the government is providing,” he said. “We’re not asking you to open up your particular wallets. This is about your support – to have City council say they believe in our program.
“If you say you’ve seen the data and you know it works, that’s going to help us in being able to return to the schools.”
He said having the City as the program’s “champion,” and providing a letter of support might help when approaching other interest groups such as local school boards. There has also been an increase in competition for government funding in the last few years, he noted.
“People are aware of our programming. They just don’t have the internal funding,” he said. “Further support, not only from school boards, but from council is what we’re looking for.”
Following the presentation, councillors noted they would be eager to work with PMAST in the future to determine the best path forward.
“We can’t say we’re going to give you dollars, but it’s clear there’s support from all of us, if it’s a letter of support or whatever the case may be,” Coun. Ron Chapman said.
Similarly, Mayor Peter Brown acknowledged the value of a peer-mediated program to help resolve conflicts at the ground-level.
“I really respect what [PMAST] is trying to achieve,” he said. “For me, resiliency is key, and I don’t think we’re pushing that hard enough.
“If there’s anything we can do to support you, we will certainly look at that.”
