November 18, 2025 – The El Rancho Unified School District (ERUSD) in Pico Rivera, California, and WPDI have launched a multi-year partnership to bring the Domestic Harmonizer Program (DHP) to all district schools. This partnership marks a powerful step toward infusing campuses with values and attitudes rooted in empathy, dialogue, and student leadership to support the district’s vision for safe, inclusive, and thriving learning environments.
The DHP teaches students, educators, and parents tools to manage conflict, strengthen relationships, and build community. By combining peer mediation, social-emotional learning (SEL), and interactive workshops, the program helps participants develop lifelong skills in communication, collaboration, and self-awareness.
Already, the momentum is growing across El Rancho schools. Peer mediators have been trained at STEAM Academy @ Burke, North Park Academy of the Arts, and Rivera Middle School, where students are now prepared to help their classmates resolve everyday interpersonal conflicts peacefully. Their efforts are fostering safer, more connected school communities where every student feels heard, valued, and supported.
“At El Rancho Unified, we want every student to feel seen, heard, and empowered to make a difference on their campus,” says Sandra Robles, Program Specialist in Student Support Services at ERUSD. “We’re proud and excited to partner with WPDI to help students lead with empathy, resolve conflicts, and build caring school communities where everyone can grow and succeed. This work reflects our district’s mission to create opportunities for growth and success and our vision to inspire learners in an ever-changing world.”
This partnership was sparked after WPDI held a training at the Los Angeles County Office of Education for counselors and administrators in peer mediation. Following this training, ERUSD and WPDI agreed upon a long-term collaboration to promote peer mediation and other components of the DHP so that students across the district will receive DHP training and ongoing mentorship from WPDI to embed peacebuilding and SEL practices into daily school life. The collaboration also includes the implementation of DHP’s SEL initiatives, such as the popular Lunch ‘N Learn Series and Inner Spark Program, which equip students with mindfulness and emotional regulation strategies that extend beyond the classroom.
Counselors, teachers, and administrators at El Rancho have been instrumental in championing the program, encouraging student participation, and modeling the communication skills at the heart of DHP’s approach. Together, WPDI and ERUSD are demonstrating that when young people are empowered to lead with empathy and resolve conflict peacefully, learning environments are transformed into communities that foster peace, understanding, and lasting change.
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