Swiss

The Swiss peer mediation program “Peacemaker” from NCBI (National Coalition Building Institute Switzerland: ncbi.ch) aims to reduce and prevent ongoing violence in schools. During a project week on the topic of violence and peace, pupils chosen by their classes learn to intervene in heated situations on the school yard with a cool head and to calm the situation.

There are more than 100 Peacemaker projects at various Swiss schools in the German- and French-speaking regions, from grade 3 (9 year olds) to grade 9 (16 year olds). NCBI's vision is to offer as many schools as possible the opportunity to train peacemakers and implement violence prevention at grassroots level.

Peacemakers learn a simplified mediation process of 5 steps in 1.5 days and intervene regularly in conflicts. They meet every month or two for ongoing support and training. They are initially trained by NCBI staff, who also train school staff in three-day "Train the Trainers" courses to run the project and train Peacemakers in future years.

NCBI is a politically and religiously neutral non-profit assocation (NGO) that has been conducting trainings and projects for 30 years in Switzerland.