All names have been changed to honor CYS client confidentiality.
A store manager, Richard, was left feeling distressed after a group of youth stole from his store. When approached to participate in a CYS mediation with one of the youth involved, Richard was not sure. This wasn’t the first time his stole experienced this, and because of that, he was feeling a bit frustrated. After explaining the mediation process, however, Richard saw the benefit of a space where he and the youth could both openly share their experience and perspective with one another.
CYS mediators, Malia Lemonious Gonzalez and Christina Castro, started the mediation by allowing the youth, Chris, to explain to Richard what led to him to stealing from his store. Chris explained that the kids he was hanging around were a big influence on his decisions, and that he also felt guilty asking for things from his parents and instead resorted to stealing. Once Richard understood Chris’ perspective, he recognized a bit of himself in Chris. According to the mediators, Richard, “conveyed his own experiences of making poor choices in the past, the consequences those choices had, and the impact on loved ones. Rather than expressing anger, Richard used his own story to illustrate the importance of making better decisions. This led to a productive dialogue in which Chris acknowledged the significance of building healthy relationships and taking responsibility for his actions. In a positive turn, Richard offered to mentor Chris.” As a mentor, Richard plans to work with Chris to set goals for his future and build tools needed to identify who does and does not have a positive impact on his life.
Leaving this mediation, Chris plans to stay in touch with Richard, prioritize building back trust with his mom (who was impacted by this incident), and work on his own self-confidence. As the mediators closed the mediation process, Chris let them know that “this experience was more helpful than some of his therapy sessions" due to the dialogue created between those most involved in the incident.
Congratulations to Malia and Christina for a successful mediation!
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