OUR MISSION
Dare to Revitalize Education through Arts and Mediation (DREAM!’s) mission is to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by helping students, educators, families, and underserved communities acquire the practical skills and confidence they need to resolve conflicts creatively and productively, increasing students' engagement with learning and supporting their personal and academic success.
OUR PROGRAMS
Conflict Resolution Through the Arts
This workshop series focuses on training educators in DREAM!’s conflict resolution curriculum on creating safe spaces to teach students necessary conflict resolution skills through visual arts, role-playing, and discussions.
Restorative Practices
During this experiential, arts-enriched training we explore the multi-tiered system of restorative practices ranging from relationship-building, and problem-solving circles, to the re-entry circle process.
Peer Mediation Program
Up to 18 youth and two school staff participate in an 18-20 hour arts-integrated, experiential training focusing on character and mediation skill-building. Upon completion, students and staff become certified mediators based on nationally recognized standards established by the Association for Conflict Resolution. Following training, newly certified mediators meet for 2 hours per week in their arts-based "Talk It Out” Campaign Club to continue developing their skills and promote and raise awareness for the Peer Mediation program. Projects include but are not limited to public service announcements, music videos, bulletin/poster boards, murals, t-shirt design, and more.
OUR IMPACT
Data reported by the New York City Department of Education show the beneficial impact of DREAM!’s programming from 2015-2019 within 17 of the most challenging schools:
40% reduction
in student suspensions
85% decrease
in Principal 1-5 day suspensions
50% decrease in District Superintendent Suspensions
