In our interview series, entitled “Peace Talks”, we speak to peacemakers with different backgrounds and life stories, and ask them to share their thoughts and reflections.
This edition of "Peace Talks" features Elizabeth Wee from Holy Innocents' High School:
Q: How was your overall experience at the Peacemakers Conference 2018?
It was a very eye-opening experience for me as I had never attended any similar Conference like Peacemakers before. Overall, I really enjoyed the Conference, especially the competition we had in the last 2 days. It really allowed me to experience the real character of being a mediator, as well as put myself into the shoes of others to see what different scenarios they might face. I learnt a lot from it. Of course, I also interacted with leaders from different schools!
Q: What was the most unforgettable part of the Conference for you?
The most unforgettable part was me experiencing being a mediator. I might not be good at it but having the chance to get into the character of a mediator really made me feel like mediation was my profession and that I was really solving a problem for the two parties.
Q: What is an example of you applying what you learned in the Conference in real life?
Having the experience to be a mediator taught me the different values and qualities I had never found in myself before, for example being empathetic towards the parties. In real life, there are many times we need to empathise with different people’s problems. The Conference made me realise that when put into a stressful situation, I can be empathetic towards others and help them to talk it out instead of giving my own solutions to solve their problems.
Another example is having patience. When faced in a situation where someone is being repetitive with their words, I need to have patience in order to calm the person down and allow the person to open up slowly. This can be used in real life as there are many times where we need patience in the things we do, be it teaching others or when we are with our friends. Even when we face an obstacle that we can’t overcome, we need patience to allow ourselves to work harder and strive better. Sometimes trying once isn’t enough, thus you try again. And if you fail again, give it another go.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to the incoming participants of the Peacemakers Conference 2019, what would you tell them?
I would tell the incoming participants to enjoy themselves and make good use of the 3 days during the Conference. Take away something or even try something new cause that’s what I did! There are many other school leaders there so take this opportunity to know how other schools run things and make friends with them 🙂
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For more pictures and videos of the Peacemakers Conference 2018, please visit the Peacemakers Facebook Page.
As Singapore’s leading peer mediation experts, Peacemakers has an extensive track record of managing and delivering conflict resolution training for youth at both local and international levels. If you would like to train your youth to better manage conflict, let us know how we can help via email at mediate@peacemakers.sg.
