"An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure" - Chinese proverb STUDENTS ABLE TO RESOLVE SITUATIONS (STARS)
	The Goal:Campus conflicts and violence hinder academic success. The goal of STARS is to improve school learning environment by reducing campus violence, expulsions, suspensions, and truancy. The program is designed to give students the necessary skills to resolve conflicts on their school campus. Becoming involved as a peer mediator helps youth build self-esteem, leadership skills, and conflict resolution skills. The Process:STARS is a school based program that allow students to participate as peer mediators in all aspects, ranging from planning mediations to facilitating mediations, and recruiting other student participants. Starting at the beginning of each school year, staff recruit and train new student mediators. Actual peer mediation often begins the end of the first quarter and both processes continue until the end of the school year. Referrals come from teachers and school administrators, and sometimes from the students themselves. The Results:   - Each year, CYS trains about 850 student mediators throughout 35 LA campuses.   - Mediators resolve about 500 conflict cases that help to improve their campus environment.   - School administrators have reported a significant decrease in fighting and other disruptive       behaviors on campuses that have used the STARS program.   - Since 1995, 1,200 peer mediations were conducted by student mediators, and   - Over 10,000 youth have received mediation training.   - CYS student mediator 'Rico' was honored as "Youth Mediator of the Year" by LA       County Board of Supervisors.   - In 2001, the STARS program received an award from the Los Angeles Board of       Supervisors as an Outstanding Mediation Program; and   - In 2005 the Program Coordinator was honored as "Most Outstanding Staff" of Los       Angeles County.