To see what PMI 2026 has to offer for grades 4 through 8 on February 10, explore the workshops and the day’s schedule.

Check-In & Breakfast

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Check-in and enjoy a delicious breakfast while getting to know your peers!

If you’ve never been to The California Endowment, it is a beautiful campus where you’ll start your day in an inspiring setting!

Download a map here.

Welcome

9:30 am - 10:00 am

Welcome! The emcee will open with a grounding exercise and an icebreaker to bring us into the space together.

This is your moment to meet other young peacemakers from grades 4 through 8 across Los Angeles County.

Form new connections and get ready for a day built around curiosity, creativity and community.

Level Up Your Peacemaking Potential: Mediation Skill Building

10:00 am - 11:40 am

Peer mediation is a powerful tool for peacemaking that you can use to create a new way of dealing with conflict and behavior at your school. A skilled peer mediator helps their fellow students ease tensions, find new solutions, resolve fights and so much more.

Whether you are a seasoned peer mediator or new to it all, you’ll get key mediation tips and tricks from WJC.

Plus, you’ll get a chance to practice mediation with real time coaching from professionals, who will be there to support you and share how mediation has helped them in their lives and careers.

Educators and other adult attendees are encouraged to watch & learn!

Lunch

11:40 am -12:25 pm

Lunch is an opportunity to hang out with new friends, make memories and capture fun pictures in our photo booth!

Workshops:
What You Need to Know

Get ready for the most dynamic part of the day. Students 4-8 grades will choose from a series powerful workshops offered across two afternoon sessions. Each workshop runs twice. We encourage you to explore something new in each session so you can experience more of what PMI 2026 has to offer.

Workshop Session 1: 12:35 to 1:25 pm
Workshop Session 2: 1:35 to 2:20 pm

Whether you want to create, speak, organize, or practice real mediation skills, this is your moment to stretch yourself and try something new. We also have a workshop for educators and staff. There is something for everyone.

Scroll down to discover each workshop and start planning your journey.

Workshop Descriptions

These are the latest updates on the workshops. Stay tuned for new information, as details may shift as we get closer to PMI.

Voices Online, Power in Real Life

Turn your screen time into impact that lifts your community.

Your social media feed can be more than photos and memes. It can be a megaphone. Step into a workshop that shows how young people can turn everyday posts into calls for justice. You will explore how to build community, develop narratives, and amplify voices that need to be heard.

Learn how social media can become a tool for healing, belonging, and real-world change.

Co-facilitated by Farrah Fazal, an Emmy winning journalist who uses storytelling to amplify unheard voices, and youth leader Alan Ramirez, member of the Azusa High School Student Union.

Farrah Fazal is a nine-time Emmy award-winning journalist, producer, and director known for her work in conflict zones and for telling the stories of marginalized and voiceless people. She previously worked as an investigative journalist for KSDK in St. Louis, and has reported from places like Syria, Somalia, and Pakistan.
Check back in December 2025 for more information.

Move, Play, Connect: The Power of Joy in Mediation

Learn to resolve conflict by tapping into laughter, creativity and fun.

Conflict resolution is not only serious work. Sometimes the quickest way to build courage is through creativity, movement, and laughter. This workshop invites you to learn communication skills by doing.

Play games, try new challenges, practice active listening, and discover how joy can unlock confidence and strengthen your ability to mediate.

Facilitated by Judy Gutierrez is WJCs Restorative Schools Program Assistant, a community educator.

With a strong foundation in expanded-learning and nonprofit work, at WJC Judy supports the implementation of conflict resolution education and restorative justice practices in Azusa Unified School District. She holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology-Criminology and Religious Studies from California State University, Northridge and has worked with students from infancy through age 21. Her passion is equipping young people with skills in communication, community and mediation.

Learn more about Judy.

Inside the Fishbowl: Real Conflicts, Real Choices

Step into the action and shape how real conflicts get resolved.

Jump into live mediation sessions that stop and start in real time. Students step in to act out conflict scenarios while the audience decides when things go off track. When you call “stop,” you step in with your insight and solutions.

Together we sharpen skills, build empathy, and discover how every decision in a mediation shapes the outcome.

Facilitated by Rehana Jamal, a conflict resolution practitioner who brings mediation to life through hands-on learning

WJC’s Restorative Schools Manager at the Dream Centers and conflict-resolution specialist with a legal background. She holds an LL.M. in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University Law and a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Rehana brings global experience and a passion for guiding youth and schools toward trusted communication and healing-centred conflict practice.

Learn more about Rehana.

Circle Up: Healing, Dialogue and Belonging

Build trust through stories, shared space and heartfelt connections.

Community Circles give everyone a place to be heard. Rooted in Indigenous practice, this workshop shows how Circles help students and adults build trust, share stories, and navigate conflict with respect.

Step into a space where every voice matters and discover how Circles can transform your school into a community where people feel seen and valued.

Facilitated by Schoene Mahmood, a practitioner who builds community through Indigenous rooted Circle work

WJC’s Restorative Schools Manager at El Monte City School District with 20+ years in transforming school climate through restorative justice. She led a region-wide implementation at LMU’s Center for Urban Resilience, trained over 3,000 educators, and facilitated more than 350 restorative conferences with a 98% success rate. She also founded the Southern California Restorative Practices Consortium, uniting 80+ organizations in the field.

Learn more about Schoene.

Rise and Create: Using Art as a Tool for Transformation

Use visual art to honor who you are and spark change in your community.

Your identity holds power. Your community does too. This workshop invites you to use visual art to explore the stories that shape you. You will see how this form of expression can open conversations that bridge differences and support conflict resolution.

By creating images that reflect your truth you learn how art can be a tool for belonging and a spark for action that brings people together.

Facilitated by Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, a creative community that uplifts young artists through media and cultural storytelling

Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory supports and advocates for diversity in the creative arts, media, and technology industries. To create workforces that are inclusive and reflective of Los Angeles in ethnicity, age, gender, social/economic status and one that removes the barriers for our most historically excluded communities. We are led by the guiding principles of Workforce Development, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Trauma-Informed Healing-Centered Arts-Based Engagement, and Self-Care.