MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LOS ANGELES — Wednesday, February 22, 2023
The Western Justice Center (WJC), a nonprofit focused on empowering and strengthening communities through conflict resolution education in local schools, announced that its annual Peer Mediation Invitational – Be The Change: Reimagining Our Schools will take place on Wed., Feb. 22, 2023 from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at The California Endowment in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Peer Mediation Invitational (PMI) is a cross-generational forum that empowers those in the school communities – students, administrators, facilitators, and more – to make a long-lasting impact in efforts to decrease violence, resolve conflicts and promote restorative practices. PMI creates an opportunity to shift from traditional thinking about discipline management to a more holistic approach with an emphasis on youth empowerment.
The event is free of charge, with a continental breakfast and boxed lunch provided for all attendees. For schools in the Greater Los Angeles Area, registration is open until February 15 to all middle and high school students, educators and after school program providers. Volunteers and mediation coaches are still needed. More details and registration info here.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. David C. Turner III, Assistant Professor of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and a faculty lead with The Million Dollar Hoods Project. Before joining the Luskin School faculty, Dr. Turner led the Brothers, Sons, Selves Coalition, an alliance of community-based organizations working to dismantle the school to prison pipeline and decriminalize communities of color (current partners include InnerCity Struggle, East LA YMCA, California Native Vote Project, Brotherhood Crusade, Community Coalition, Social Justice Learning Institute, Youth Justice Coalition, and Khmer Girls in Action).
Dr. Turner states, “At the core of the phrase, ‘We Keep Us Safe’ are the principles of restorative and transformative justice – that conflict, harm, and misbehavior can be reconciled through a deep relational engagement with one another. As educators, we need to adopt the fundamental belief that no one is disposable, and that together, we can transform school climate by humanizing AND investing in our youth.
Other presenters include: Fidel Rodriguez, Senior Human Relations Specialist for the LA County Human Relations Commission’s LA vs. Hate Program; Heather Schon, Counselor at the Palisades Charter High School; and MaryAnn Szyskowski, Site Director for the UCLA Community-Based Afterschool Programs at University High School.
The event will include workshop sessions where participants can practice their mediation skills and be mentored by adult professionals. Additional workshops focus on learning about trauma-informed care in school settings, community organizing for restorative justice in schools, and the use of data and storytelling to drive transformational change in education.
About The Western Justice Center
The Western Justice Center (WJC) is a leader in the field of conflict resolution education with in-depth school and community-based partnerships throughout the Greater LA Area. WJC drives transformational change in education by empowering youth, educators and administrators to be equal partners in creating safe, inclusive learning environments. WJC’s holistic approach supports systemic and sustainable change by helping schools implement restorative approaches to violence reduction and conflict resolution as evidence-based, trauma-informed alternatives to punitive discipline. WJC also manages a non-profit campus in Pasadena where like-minded organizations cohabitate with an eye toward advancing justice and equity.
For more information about the Western Justice Center and their Peer Mediation Invitational, please visit the website at www.westernjustice.org.
For press photos and social media content, please visit PMI Content.
For direct media inquiries, please text Executive Director Elissa Barrett (323) 854-8963 or email operations@westernjustice.org for her assistant, Stephanie Loera.