Teen Mediation International (TMI) is an innovative organization with a mission to revolutionize the way teens relate to each other and the world. It's making waves with its powerful slogan: "Make friends, make peace, make a difference." TMI is the monumental inspiration of Dick Calkins, the founder of the American Mock Trial Association and the International Academy of Dispute Resolution.
TMI celebrates the work of teen advocates around the world and actively supports teen mediation tournaments, internships, and mediation training and teacher support. We help students in every corner of the globe to handle conflict with ease, pursue their highest sense of self, and become Citizen Diplomats and Mediators.
Teen Mediation International believes that teen mediation tournaments are a potent vehicle for developing skills in problem solving, negotiation, critical thinking, public speaking, citizenship, self-confidence, empathy, and community engagement. Students aged 13-18 are invited to participate in online international training and practice mediation skills by registering under the 'events' tab.
We want to provide teenagers with hope for the future. Through practicing essential skills like conflict de-escalation, negotiation, and reiteration summary with new friends from around the world, teens gain confidence in themselves and feel like they can help the world - and have fun doing it!
Drawing students from several countries including Sri Lanka, Lebanon, India, the UK, the US, and Nigeria, TMI has assembled a stellar team of founding coaches and trainers from diverse backgrounds - law, business, psychology, education and mediation. Each month we welcome new coaches and supporters to the team. If you would like to be involved, please email Kathie at kcalkinskeyes@gmail.com.
For decades the International Academy of Dispute Resolution has hosted mediation tournaments for law school and university students across the globe. Dick Calkins dreamed of expanding this opportunity to secondary schools, just as mock trial did in the 1980's.
In 2021, Principia Upper School in St Louis, Missouri, USA, with Patti Fox and Don Sterrett, hosted the first high school mediation tournament with guidance and help from several INADR members and a strong local committee.
In 2022, we held "Tuesday Teen Training" for 10 weeks to experiment with intensive training for teenagers in mediation. Head trainers were mediators Dick Calkins, Kathleen Ruane Leedy, and Orlando Blake and coordinator Kathie CalkinsKeyes.
In January 2024 a handful of mediators and advocates - Grace Sather from Lebanon, Shayhum Aboosalih from Sri Lanka, Godslove Offor from Nigeria, and Kathleen Ruane Leedy, Kathie CalkinsKeyes, and Dick Calkins from the US met virtually to discuss the vision of training high school students globally in mediation. We held the first Cross Border Teen Mediators event on January 26, 2024. Everyone was so excited we could hardly contain ourselves. We realized this was the birth of a worldwide movement!
In July 2024 Teen Mediation International was approved as a 501(c)3.
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