April 18, 2025 – WPDI’s Domestic Harmonizer Program is thrilled to launch a dynamic partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) to bring impactful peer mediation and leadership training to schools across the county. This marks our first major initiative in the region, paving the way for future collaborations. Through this partnership, we aim to empower educators—especially counselors—with the skills and resources needed to establish peer mediation and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs using a train-the-trainer model.
This collaboration kicked off with WPDI and SDCOE successfully hosting our first workshop, a lively 2-day training in late March for 20 counselors from various schools and districts across San Diego. SDCOE played a key role in promoting the workshop, recruiting participants, and providing the training facilities, while WPDI led the instruction, ensuring an engaging and impactful learning experience. Throughout the training, participants received a comprehensive introduction to the peer mediation process, took part in interactive learning activities and presentations, and explored practical strategies for establishing and sustaining peer mediation programs within their schools. The goal of this workshop was to empower counselors with concrete tools and resources to champion peaceful conflict resolution and cultivate leadership skills among their students.
Program participants shared positive feedback following the training, including Laura Dawson from Grossmont High School who stated, “This training was practical and full of ideas that can be utilized immediately. Karen DeVoogd [WPDI’s Conflict Resolution Education Trainer] was a fun, knowledgeable, and skilled trainer who created a warm and welcoming environment.”
Another workshop participant, Sara Steadry, mentioned, “The DHP training was an inspiring experience. I appreciated the mix of hands-on learning, collaboration time, and individual planning time. I look forward to bringing the resources to the School Counselors in San Diego Unified.”
We are thrilled to offer these training sessions at SDCOE multiple times a year, providing ongoing opportunities for schools to strengthen their peer mediation and SEL initiatives throughout the San Diego region. WPDI and SDCOE have already scheduled additional training sessions for fall 2025, which will include peer mediation workshops tailored for elementary, middle, and high school counselors, as well as a Train-the-Trainer workshop focused on personal growth and peer-to-peer mentorship based on WPDI’s Inner Spark curriculum.
Dr. Tanya Bulette, Coordinator, K-12 School Counseling Services from SDCOE states, “Youth Peacemaker workshops that equip educators to teach peer mediation skills to students are among the most highly requested supports from school counselors across San Diego County, spanning elementary through high school. The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative’s Domestic Harmonizer Program has been an exceptional partner in meeting this growing demand. Grounded in research, peer mediation not only promotes peaceful conflict resolution, but also cultivates critical social-emotional skills, student leadership, and a deeper sense of connection and belonging on campus. This is an invaluable resource for our school communities, and we are excited to continue expanding access through this powerful and purposeful collaboration. »
For more information about the San Diego County Office of Education, please visit: https://www.sdcoe.net
For more information about the Domestic Harmonizer Program, please visit: www.domesticharmonizer.org
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