| "The most drastic conflict we had
was with a young man," said Breazeale. "I'm not going to
mention his name because it's supposed to be
confidential. He had a fight with one of the boys
on the corner down there and the boy was talking
about wanting to shoot him."
Breazeale and other
student mediators worked on the case. It involved
sitting both sides down and discussing the
incident.
"I think I handled
it quite well," Breazeale said. "It was
hard work. We were here early that morning until
almost five o'clock."
Generally, there are
enough conflicts at McClymonds to keep the
student mediators busy. Olufemi monitors
disturbances and assigns cases to various
students. The students are then responsible for
meeting with those involved and using their
training to prevent further violence.
In addition to her role
at McClymonds, Olufemi is responsible for
coordinating several other programs, including a
mentoring program at local elementary schools, a
youth advocacy program and a parent's awareness
group.
But the bulk of her time
is spent with the McClymonds students -- and the
students respect her for it.
"Haneefa (Olufemi)
is doing a great job. I told her that she
couldn't leave until I graduated," said
Delanor Ford, 15, a sophomore in her first year
as a mediator. "She will tell us, 'I am not
you, I'm not a teenager. But, I feel you.' She's
real. She can reach everybody, feel
everybody."
What Olufemi calls her
own "therapy" has had a residual effect
on the school. The dice games and smell of
marijuana are gone, according to students.
"I love them
dearly," said Olufemi of her students.
"I see very strong young people who, with
the right guidance, with the right resources and
with the right exposures can have a very positive
impact on the future and also complete their
goals."
Even though the program
is a success, it is struggling for funding and
for support. When Olufemi was first trained, nine
Oakland schools participated in the program.
Today, there are only three schools in the
program.
The West Oakland
Violence Prevention program is financed with a
$175,000 grant from the Wellness Foundation.
Although the foundation has guaranteed funding
for the next three years, Olufemi hopes that the
Oakland School system will give it the support to
continue after that period.
In order to get that
support, she believes the program must continue
showing that it is relevant in the lives of
students.
"We need to get out
there, show that we're really doing
something," said Olufemi. "We need to
show that it is making a positive impact."
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