Peer Mediation for Polynesian Students in Middle School

Schools spend an excessive amount of time and resources on conflicts in schools. Understanding cross-cultural conflict and how it affects Polynesian children in public schools has not been tapped into. Due to the colonial powers or dominant societies that impose rules in Native Hawaiian (Polynesian) communities through education, conflicts arise at an expected higher rate than other races due to cultural barriers. Conflict creates an unhealthy environment for learning, and many Polynesian students have harsher consequences than their peers. However, faculty and communities have a rising awareness of conflict related issues that are great concerns due to increased violence.

There are several identifiable reasons to incorporate culture into schools; peer mediation helps equip academics pursuing Polynesian with a voice. Online peer mediation will allow me to teach basic mediation skills to Polynesian students, so they can develop (on their campus) a group that caters to their specific needs as Polynesian students. My purpose is to highlight the way in which Polynesians mediate, provide a space where they can learn from each other, and cross their perceived boundaries of others. Feeling comfortable and valued through conflict resolution and mediation skills is the objective; however, students and communities do better when the walls of misunderstanding are scaled.