~ Pictured in photo above, Dr. Negin Tahvildary and President Joseph I. Castro.
Fresno State’s Mediator Mentors Program, under the Department of Philosophy, will celebrate Mediator Mentor Appreciation Day Thursday, May 24, at North Gym 118.
Directed by the Philosophy Department’s Dr. Negin Tahvildary, the goal of the program is for students, as part of a university-public school partnership, to learn the valuable tools needed in supporting the development of conflict resolution skills in school children.
“We consider ourselves as a family of those who are passionate for peaceful problem solving and those who are advocates for restorative justice,” Tahvildary said.
Each year, Mediator Mentors celebrates the service of their peer mediators, teachers and mentors who service their schools, contributing to a safe and civil school climate.
This year, the program has received donations toward enriching the resources and training offered.
The program was able to match a $5,000 donation from the Bonner Family Foundation with the help of two private donors contributing $2,500 each in grants, resulting in $10,000 in additional funding.
And in April, Mediator Mentors received a $1,000 grant from the Central California Women’s Conference. The additional funding will help benefit the continued aims of the program partnering future teachers, counselors, social workers and school psychologists with elementary students.
Tahvildary explained that the support of these donors and grantors allowed for the training of 659 students at public schools and 30 college mentors.
“The recent grants and donations will help us train more Mentors at college and public schools and provide them with a set of skills on facilitated problem solving,” said Tahvildary.
It is the work of students training in this program that will be recognized during the program’s Appreciation Day.
The event will begin with a welcome and registration at 8:30 a.m., followed by Dr. Honora Chapman, associate dean for the College of Arts and Humanities, giving opening remarks:
- 8:30 a.m. – Buses arrival, welcome + registration
- 9:30 a.m. – Opening Remarks (Dr. Honor Chapman)
- 9:45 a.m. – Slideshow with music background in appreciation of participating schools
- 10:00 a.m. – Dance
- 10:20 a.m. – Certificate of Appreciation for school and mediators
- 10:30 a.m. – Poster/ Drawing
- 11:00 a.m. – Self-guided tour
- 12:00 p.m. – BYO Lunch
- 12:30 p.m. – Wrap up, school buses ready for pick up
The College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State 