ACR Youth Day 2011
Listening When It’s Most Difficult: Youth Conflict Resolution Practitioners Lead the Way
Friday, October 14, 2011; 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
San Diego, California 92101
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The Association for Conflict Resolution’s (ACR) Education and Restorative Justice Sections are proud to present Youth Day 2011, Listening When It’s Most Difficult: Youth Conflict Resolution Practitioners Lead the Way at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel on October 14.
Youth Day (the Fifth Annual) has become a very special event at the ACR Conference.
This year, aligning with the conference theme: Many Paths, One Destination, Youth Day San Diego will engage 60 local student peer mediators and conflict managers in two, time-honored conflict resolution practices around one of the most challenging issues faced by our multicultural nation: Illegal Immigration. It is one thing to learn about conflict and its resolution...and another to apply learned strategies to seemingly intransient social issues.
Sixty Middle and High School, San Diego-area student mediators will have the opportunity to engage with ACR Education and Restorative Justice Section members in two experiences: 1) mentored mediation and 2) RJ circle dialogue.
After taking part in both processes, a whole group debriefing conversation will be facilitated to solicit both a) cognitive and affective responses of participants to the experiencing of different conflict resolution models and to b) harvest wise, humane and practical ideas which emerged in their processes that may help our nation go forward in service to all. ACR Education and Restorative Justice Sections believe that the youth who practice conflict resolution on a daily basis at their schools have a special, informed perspective from which to speak on the selected topic (many of the participating, San Diego youth have personal, familial experience with the immigration issue and its effects).
And finally, ACR Education and Restorative Justice Sections are offering the students opportunities to publish their reflections on their Youth Day experiences. Humane, wise and practical responses to illegal immigration have stymied many adult leaders. We may be encouraged by the contributions of our youthful conflict resolution practitioners! In the planning stages is an afternoon field trip in which participating youth will be able to observe an actual commercial mediation via a 20 min bus ride from the Sheraton.
Youth Day celebrations from the past
Tajae Gaynor addressing the youth at the 2009 ACR Annual Conference Youth Day.
Nina Meierding
(top, left) is a professional Negotiation and Mediator Trainer who gave the keynote address in 2009.