Carrie Kirkpatrick  speaks about the Rewind programSt. Catharines – A local program that repairs relationships and keeps kids out of court received a $139,200 cash injection from the Ontario Trillium Foundation Tuesday.

Last year, Project REWIND (Restoring Events With Integrity Negotiation and Dignity) helped resolve disputes at local elementary and high schools 140 times, said Caroline Graham, youth services supervisor with the John Howard Society of Niagara.

“It’s having the offender take responsibility for their actions, and letting the victim have a voice,” she said of the school-based program.

She said it’s used for a variety of offences, from bullying and racial slurs to physical assaults and thefts. All four local school boards and Niagara Regional Police refer students to the program for dispute resolution.

John Howard Society of Niagara executive director Jim Wells said when the program’s provincial government funding dried up, they turned to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

“It’s important that the program is continued,” he said. “It is an avenue for resolving disputes within the schools . some of which may otherwise have gone into courts.”

The grant will help fund the program co-ordinator’s position over the next two years, he said.

Graham said the program started in 2007 and has grown every year since. Volunteers go into schools and mediate disputes in an effort to repair harm and provide positive closure, she said.

The goal is to make it possible for students to be able to go to school together without the added stress of conflict.

“When you bring them together, a lightbulb goes off,” Graham said.

The success rate is 90 to 95%, she added.

District School Board of Niagara superintendent Helen McGregor said the program has proved valuable for staff and students.

“That opportunity to rebuild and reconnect and come to a positive resolution has been beneficial,” she said.

Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud superintendent of education Jerome Pepin said the partnership is about ensuring a safe, caring, learning environment for students.

“It’s really important for us to create a safe place so all the kids can learn without fear,” he said.

Source: St. Catharines Standard