Five-day Mediation Week 2022 launched today (with photos)
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The Mediation Week 2022 organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) was officially launched today (May 2). The five-day programme features a series of thematic events and the Mediation Conference 2022 to promote the use of mediation. To kick off the Mediation Week, the School Mediation Seminar cum 5th Hong Kong Secondary School Peer Mediation Competition Final was held this morning.
The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, remarked that the DoJ spares no effort in promoting the use of mediation as an amicable means to resolve disputes in various sectors. It is ideally to nurture the culture of mediation amongst students who will appreciate the importance and the usefulness of mediation skills in resolving conflicts amicably. This is vital to maintain their personal relationships and ultimately contribute to the building of a harmonious community.
The theme of the School Mediation Seminar was “Peer Mediation – a Must-have Tool for Schools”. This Seminar first featured the 5th Hong Kong Secondary School Peer Mediation Competition Final, in which students became young aspiring mediators and displayed their peer mediation skills under spotlight. True Light Girls’ College became the champion of the competition. In the armchair discussion in the second session of the Seminar, speakers with extensive experience in peer mediation explored the common disputes among students that were suitable for mediation and how peer mediation could be used to prevent escalation of school disputes from the perspectives of mediator, lawyer, teacher and social worker. Speakers also agreed that cultivating the mediation culture could reduce conflicts and promote the building of a harmonious and empathetic community.
The Seminar was well-received by students and the education sector. It was hoped that through the Seminar, students, parents, teachers and other education workers could all gain an in-depth understanding of mediation and the values behind it, thereby promoting schools to develop the mediation culture, resolving conflicts with a positive and constructive mindset.
Today’s event was co-organised by the Department of Justice, the Education Bureau, Rotary International District 3450 and the Joint Mediation Helpline Office. For more information and details, please visit the dedicated homepage.