In an effort to tackle the growing concerns of violence and disputes in schools, the Gamey & Gamey ADR Institute, in partnership with the Misornu Safety Centre, has launched a national Youth Conflict Resolution and Security Programme towards addressing the menace.
The initiative aims to equip young people, particularly students, with vital skills in safety awareness, conflict prevention, and peer mediation.
The programme, launched in collaboration with the National Cadet Corps, seeks to create a generation of school-based mediators through the training of school cadets as conflict resolution ambassadors. As part of this initiative, mediation clubs will be established in schools across the country to foster a culture of peace, discipline, and volunteerism.
The first major activity under the programme took place in Accra on Monday, where a training workshop was held for over 70 school cadet corps trainers from schools in the Ashanti Region. The workshop introduced participants to key mediation concepts, youth safety practices, and the importance of early conflict intervention in school settings.
Held under the theme: “Enhancing youth discipline and volunteerism through cadet-based security awareness and mediation,” the training offered practical tools for building a more peaceful and secure school environment.
DCOP (Rtd) David Eklu, Executive Director of the Misornu Safety Centre, emphasized the need to build safety consciousness among young people both in and out of the classroom.
“Security starts with awareness,” he noted, adding that “when students understand the risks and learn how to respond to threats, they become agents of safety within their communities.”
Mr. Austin Gamey, CEO of Gamey and Gamey Group and a renowned ADR expert, took participants through the fundamentals of preventive mediation, with a focus on perception and the retaliatory cycle, two major triggers of youth conflict.
“Many disputes arise not from facts, but from how situations are perceived,” he said, explaining that by teaching students how to identity triggers, and effectively engage to resolve conflicts constructively, “we are helping to build a culture of tolerance and dialogue.”
He added that the Youth Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Programme is designed to help young people resolve differences peacefully, prevent retaliatory behaviour, and create supportive school environments where discipline and cooperation coexist.
The workshop marks the first in a series of regional training sessions that will ultimately lead to the nationwide formation of mediation clubs and peer-led safety networks in schools.
In addition, the initiative offers a transformative approach to tackling youth violence, by focusing not on punishment, but on empowerment and personal responsibility. 
