Daphne project: 2000-132

Daphne Programme – Year 2000 Final Report

Project Nr. : 2000/DAP/132/C

Title: “Prevention of violence in school: the school mediator as a resource” (MEDES)

Start date: 1 January 2001 End date: 31 December 2001

Coordinating Organisation name: RED CROSS - ()

Contact person : Name : Carolina Martínez Collado Address : Avinguda Vallvidrera, 73 Postal code : 08017 City : Country : España Tel. N°.:+34 93.205.14.14 Fax Nr. : 93.205.62.15 93.803.07.89 93.805.53.71 e-mail : carolmartinez@.creuroja.org Website: http://www.cruzroja.es/

Partner Organisations’ names and countries : PROVINCIA DI NOVARA () FORUM FOKUS e.V. (Germany) RED CROSS BRUSSELS (Belgium)

1. Aims of the project

The main problem addressed by this project is the worrying rise in violence in schools in all the countries of the European Union and in particular among teenagers. The violent behaviour observed between teachers and pupils and among pupils is seriously undermining the pupils' level of training and their future integration into society. Furthermore, the problem is aggravated by the lack of means and resources in schools to tackle this problem and the lack of coordination among the institutions and NGOs working in the field of the prevention of violence.

The direct beneficiaries of the project were all the children and teenagers in the schools in each of the partner locations in which the project was implemented. The beneficiaries acquired new techniques and social skills to enable them to manage conflicts in a non-violent manner. The second group of beneficiaries were the primary and secondary school teachers, who benefited from a series of resources and techniques to help them channel and handle conflicts which take place in schools and thus prevent potentially violent behaviour and improve communication with pupils.

Initially, the anticipated results of the project were as follows: to draft an initial report on the problem of school violence in , to organise days of reflection and debate on mediation aimed at preventing violence in schools, to train mediators in schools, to produce teaching materials geared

Daphne-project_2000-132_1 towards teenagers and teachers to prevent violent behaviour, to carry out an awareness-building campaign on positive conflict management and mediation, to organise a final seminar and to disseminate the results.

The present project was initially intended to last two years, but the Commission only approved the project for one year, which meant that all the activities had to be accordingly condensed. During the working meeting that was organised, the Commission evaluator recommended the direct involvement of the project beneficiaries in the project actions. For this reason, we invited the project beneficiaries to attend the final seminar to ask them their opinion on the project and to talk about their experience of violent situations in schools.

2. Implementation of the project

All the activities which were on the initial calendar were completed:

- First transnational meeting in Igualada (Spain). The project management committee was set up and included representatives of the project partners. The guidelines to be followed and the different project actions were agreed upon.

- Drafting of the initial report on violence perpetrated against and among teenagers in schools within the European context.

- Second transnational meeting in Igualada (Spain) attended by representatives of all the project partners:

o Presentation of the initial report and initial conclusions. o Presentation of the different models of mediation and debate on these models.

- Third transnational meeting in Igualada (Spain). Implementation of a training course for trainers in school mediation.

- Implementation of an awareness-building campaign in secondary schools on the prevention of violence, positive conflict management and mediation.

- We had initially planned to organise the International Seminar and subsequently to disseminate the results obtained as the project developed. However, in view of the very tight schedule resulting from the sheer number of planned project activities and the organisation of the International Seminar in December, the Seminar was highly publicised and disseminated to ensure a high turnout to be able to present the results obtained to as many people as possible. This yielded good results as the Seminar was attended by a considerable number of people who were interested in the issue of school mediation. The results were further disseminated later on by e-mail.

With respect to the activities which were implemented but were not included in the initial project, we must mention the presentation of the project which lasted several days on violence organised by the Youth Red Cross in Catalonia.

The calendar of work was constantly reviewed and consulted to fit in all the activities scheduled in the initial project, taking into account the considerable number of activities to be arranged in one year and the importance of implementing the scheduled activities to achieve the objectives of the project.

PROVINCE OF NOVARA

Daphne-project_2000-132_2 - Research and supply of information needed to draw up the initial report on the problem of school violence in the European context. - Interchange of information on the different models of school mediation. - Participation in the training of trainers in school mediation. - Participation in the International Seminar on school mediation. - Dissemination of the project at local level. - Workshops on social skills in a secondary school.

FORUM FOKUS OSNABRÜCK

- Dissemination of the project at local level. - Participation in the local project “Exit – ways out of the violence” - Interchange of information with other bodies and organisations working in the field of prevention of school violence. - Research and supply of information needed to draw up the initial report on the problem of school violence in the European context. - Interchange of information on the different models of school mediation. - Participation in the training of trainers in school mediation. - Participation in the creation of the concept of conflict management and the prevention of violence in connection with school mediation. - Promotion of cooperation with the teachers and management team of the schools. - Intervention in a school to encourage peer mediation at school level. - Participation in the International Seminar on school mediation.

BELGIAN RED CROSS

- Research and supply of information needed to draw up the initial report on the problem of school violence in the European context. - Workshops on social skills in a school (St. Antoine) and in a community centre (Maison de Quartier) with primary school children. - Interchange of information on the different models of school mediation. - Participation in the training of trainers in school mediation. - Participation in the International Seminar on school mediation. - Dissemination of the project at local level.

SPANISH RED CROSS - Gathering of information and participation in the drafting of the initial report on the problem of school violence in the European context (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross , Red Cross Granada). - Interchange of information on the different models of school mediation (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Participation in the training of trainers in school mediation and in the organisation of the same (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Participation in the International Seminar on school mediation and in the organisation of the same (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Dissemination of the project at local level (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Implementation of an awareness-building campaign on the prevention of violence and positive conflict management in Igualada, Sabadell, Granada and Barcelona. - The training of volunteers on essential social skills for positive conflict management followed by an awareness-building campaign (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Contacts with schools at local level and local education authorities (Red Cross Anoia, Red Cross Sabadell, Red Cross Granada). - Coordination with the education authorities of the government of Catalonia (Red Cross Catalonia). - Interchange of information with mediation experts (Red Cross Catalonia).

Daphne-project_2000-132_3 - Dissemination of the project at autonomous community level (Red Cross Catalonia).

3. Results and impacts of the project

Results

- Initial report on the problem of school violence in the European context. - Teaching materials geared towards teenagers and teachers to prevent violent behaviour and practical exercises in different schools. - Interchange of information on the different models of school mediation. - Gathering of materials for the training of trainers in the field of school mediation. - Training of volunteers on the use of the teaching materials created through the funding of this programme.

Evaluation of the results

The results of the project were evaluated in different ways:

- Evaluation by the University of Barcelona (external project evaluator). - Evaluation through the transnational meetings with partners. At each meeting the results obtained up to that point were presented and a debate took place on the changes to be made. - An evaluation was also carried out of the work in the schools. This was done through meetings with teachers and the management team of the schools in question once the work was completed. The teenagers and youths (the direct beneficiaries of the intervention) also took part in the evaluation through comments made during the sessions and through a questionnaire. The volunteers responsible for conducting the workshops also held a meeting to evaluate the results of the intervention and the methodology used.

What did we learn from the evaluation?

Firstly, we learned that, although the different European contexts are marked by different situations as regards violence in schools, the basic problem is the same. There has been an important change in the attitude of young people and teenagers towards authority which is a constant source of conflict in classrooms. Generally speaking, teachers lack the motivation and resources needed to cope with this new situation.

Mediation is a method that holds the key to dealing with this problem. The models that can be applied are many and varied depending on the school structure of each country, but the real fundamental problem is how the mediation projects can be implemented in the schools in such a way that they are pursued and form part of the school's educational project. For this to be achieved, it is absolutely essential that the education authorities undertake to finance and implement mediation projects in schools and to train teachers in this field. Also, the teachers and the management team must give their agreement.

The evaluation of the results gave us greater insight into the conflicts which teachers and pupils alike have to cope with on a daily basis and how they each see these conflicts. We found that it is possible to achieve cooperation between entities working in the field of non-formal education and schools, and that this cooperation can provide important support for the day-to-day work of teachers.

We spoke to some young people and discovered that they are willing to seek solutions that provide a means of averting or resolving the conflicts in which they become embroiled on a day- to-day basis and which very often initially appear to be trivial forms of aggression which, when they become repetitive and continuous, can become a problem that affects the behaviour of the victim and of the aggressors alike within society and in the classroom. They also point out that many of the conflicts that occur in the classroom with teachers are caused by pupil’s treatment by

Daphne-project_2000-132_4 teachers and the fact that there are no platforms for participation and dialogue. Another important fact is that in most cases when they are victims of aggression they do not know how to react or who they can turn to for help.

Impact

In the course of the school-based workshops, the young people reflect on different issues connected with behaviour, communication and relationships about which they have never before stopped to think. This reflection shows them that there are different ways of looking at the same situation and of understanding the world around us.

All the young people were eager to take part in these workshops, and at times they were surprised by the type of relationship they formed with the adult referent. They were pleased that they were shown respect and given opportunities to express their opinions and feelings.

It is important to point out that, although this experiment worked very well, if the impact on the young people is to achieve the desired aim of changing certain behavioural attitudes, it must be pursued and a transversal approach must be adopted by all the agents working in the school. Over 800 young people were direct beneficiaries of the project.

As for the teachers, it must be said that this project was also an opportunity for training in new skills to help them improve how they handle conflicts in the classroom. Some of the teachers learned for the first time what mediation is and what it entails. Once again, we found that opinions were divided between those who are willing to make efforts to improve their behaviour in the classroom and who believe that mediation is a viable resource and those who stick to their belief that it is not their problem but a problem for pupils to sort out and who therefore are unwilling to look for new resources that help them resolve conflicts in the classroom. We believe that through this project we were able to inform more teachers of this possibility and that it can therefore make an important contribution towards the future development of mediation.

Around 250 persons were direct beneficiaries of the project (teachers, seminar attendees, volunteers, etc.).

As regards the general public, this gave new incentive to open up the debate on the problems which occur in schools, especially in secondary schools. It helped the education authorities see mediation as a serious approach to some of these problems and helped raise the awareness of the general public to the fact that the problems facing young people in schools is an issue we should all be concerned about and that we therefore must together be committed to finding a means of solving these problems from inside the school and from outside.

4. Dissemination and follow-up

The results were disseminated by various means:

- Each participating country disseminated the results obtained internally through different media (radio, television and written press). This information was directed at the general public as it is an issue that is of concern to different sectors of the population. - Through specialised seminars on problems connected with violence and youth organised by the Spanish Youth Red Cross and which were mainly aimed at social workers and teachers. - Through the Final Seminar, which was the last action undertaken within the framework of the project. This Seminar was held in December and was aimed at professionals working with young people in the area of formal and non-formal education and at young people. - In addition, a number of articles were written and published in the magazine of the Spanish Red Cross to publicise the project and its results.

Daphne-project_2000-132_5 We have been given full assurance that the project will continue and that our organisation will be involved in this field for the next two years (2002-2003), as our organisation has been entrusted with a new initiative approved under the Daphne programme which will pursue the work that has been carried out during this first year. During these two years, we will??? give special emphasis to the creation of a website and a transnational network that will enable us to achieve wide dissemination at all levels on school mediation.

Furthermore, the different partners participating in the project have already begun discussions with the different education departments to guarantee the continuation of the project. Results have already been obtained in Osnabrück by extending mediation programmes to more schools, while in Spain we are involved in discussions with the education department of the Government of Catalonia to decide how this experiment can be extended to as many schools as possible.

The logo of the European Commission appears in all the documents published with funds from the Daphne programme. Also, this logo appears on the dissemination materials produced for the different activities of the project and on the presentations of the project made at different seminars and discussions.

Furthermore, the European Commission is mentioned in all the press releases and published articles and in all the interviews given on radio and television.

5. Conclusions

The MEDES programme covered a very important area of research based on an initial report to identify the type of school violence which we encountered in the different European contexts and, in particular, in the countries participating in the project (Spain, Germany, Belgium and Italy) and took the form of a study of mediation as a valid method of tackling this problem.

The research we carried out yielded the following findings:

• The problems of school violence which we find in schools in the different European contexts are very similar.

• In the majority of cases the root problem is a lack of ability to manage the conflicts which occur in schools in a positive manner. This applies to the pupils dealing with their own conflicts and teachers who have conflicts with pupils. Mismanagement of this type of conflict tends to lead to more violent situations.

• There is growing concern among teachers that they are having ever-increasing difficulty maintaining authority and order in the classroom. Against this backdrop, we offer mediation as a viable methodology, as it focuses on learning skills that help people manage conflict positively.

When we implement a mediation project in a school, we find ourselves in the following situation which the different European contexts have in common: mediation does not achieve results in the short term. It is a process in which all the stakeholders in the school must be involved (teachers, parents and the management), that is, it calls for a major change in mentality when confronted with any form of conflict.

If mediation is to achieve results, it must be part of the school's educational project. In this regard, teachers and management teams are divided into two camps: those who believe in this methodology and those who do not believe in it and are unwilling to change their viewpoint. This division among professionals is also observed in other fields in which we are beginning to apply mediation.

What have we achieved?

Daphne-project_2000-132_6 • We have revived the debate on the conflict situations which are currently facing secondary schools and the need to do something about this problem. • We have researched and disseminated various experiments in mediation which have been successfully conducted in different schools to show the administration and the schools the advantages of this methodology. • We have opened up the dialogue between schools and non-governmental organisations to encourage them to launch a joint project aimed at reducing violent attitudes among young people. • We have informed young people that there are other ways to resolve conflicts and we have reflected with them on the situations of violence which flare up in schools and on ways to handle these situations, and they have taken on board this new approach to relationships and perception of conflict situations.

What remains to be done?

We face a quite formidable challenge, a challenge which we have already taken up. We believe in mediation, and therefore in future the approach to be adopted will consist in liasing with the education authorities and with the schools to devise the best formulas that will allow us to apply this methodology in schools on a permanent and ongoing basis.

Prevention is a significant aspect of the mediation process. Consequently, we believe that it is very important to begin implementing this method in primary schools.

Another important task is to disseminate this methodology so that any professional who wishes to use it can access the necessary information quickly and easily. In this way, more professionals in the education sphere will learn about this methodology and the good results that it yields and will support our campaign.

Daphne-project_2000-132_7 ANNEX 1 : KEYWORDS

Mark all the areas of action and types of activity listed below which were covered by your project.

Beneficiaries Daphne Objectives Areas X Children Support to the collaboration of Sexual violence X Young people organis a Stiuopnps ort to multidisciplinary networks Gender violence Women X Exchange of good practices Violence in family Studies Violence in domestic context Specific groups Support to public awareness X Violence in schools Homosexuals Information campaign Violence in institutions Migrants Information sources Violence in urban areas Refugee Recognition and reporting Violence in rural areas Asylum seekers Violence in the work place Trafficked persons Trafficking in human beings Ethnic minorities Specific Objectives Commercial sexual Handicapped X Prevention of violence exploita Itniotenr net Domestic workers Protection from violence Child Pornography People in prostitution Treatment of victims Racism Elderly Reintegration of victims Self-harm Prisoners Counselling victims Physical punishment Support to families Female genital mutilation Targeted Audience Legislative measures Health impacts Violent men Treatment of offenders Perpetrators / offenders Reintegration of offenders Instruments X Public Authorities X Network with NGOs X General Public Multisector network Medical staff X Awareness-raising X Educational staff X Dissemination of good Police staff pr Gacutidce lines / Counselling Judicial staff Models (analysis / Media / Journalists dXe Tvrealoinpinmge nt) X Production of materials X Conference / seminar Telephone / Internet Helpline Field work

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