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This chapter describes an ongoing Australian peace psychology initiative that has involved working with school communities to develop better processes for resolving conflict and enhancing culturally respectful relationships. Originating from Psychologists for Peace, an interest group of the Australian Psychological Society, the Enhancing Relationships in School Communities (ERIS) project is an example of how collaborative relationships between peace psychologists, universities and schools have enabled the development of a series of models, professional development programmes, resources and methods of evaluation for school contexts. The aim of the ERIS project has been to work with primary (elementary) schools to assist them in making whole school changes in how they approach conflict, and to help teachers to learn more cooperative problem-solving approaches to resolve conflict and assist students to learn and use those approaches. A second aim of the ERIS project, which developed increasingly over time, has been to support a focus on respect for cultural diversity as part of the broad agenda of enhancing relationships in schools. This chapter will describe the conceptual foundations of the project, including process considerations and theoretical approaches to the content matter, approaches to evaluation and lessons drawn from working with schools, to create and enact better processes for addressing conflict and to develop culturally respectful communities. |
