Rebecca Newman

For Rebecca Newman, the undergraduate Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CAR) program could not have been a better fit. With an initial interest in social work, Rebecca has always had a passion for youth issues. She found CAR at George Mason University and was hooked.

Rebecca started an internship with CAR and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in January 2007. After attending the FCPS peer mediation conferences for elementary and high school students, she created a program called Peer Mediation Partners, a partnership program between GMU student volunteers and Fairfax County high school peer mediators to help high school students develop conflict analysis and resolution skills.

Rebecca has seen first-hand how peer mediation has evolved over the years. "While I was in high school, peer mediation was seen by both school administrators and students as just another club or casual student organization." While getting school systems on board may be a challenge, some schools offer peer mediation as a class and offer related courses such as restorative justice. For schools that embrace the idea, "there is more of a focus on how peer mediation programs can be used as a conflict prevention tool within schools," says Rebecca.

Dedicated to community service, Rebecca is a mentor at Space of Her Own (SOHO), an arts based mentoring program for pre-teen girls in Alexandria, VA. Rebecca describes SOHO as "a program designed for young girls who may be at risk of entering the juvenile court system; the goal is to build self-esteem and social skills in order to prevent young girls from engaging in criminal activity". Following her May graduation, Rebecca plans to continue her work on youth issues.