Training in Mediation and Restorative Justice Erasmus Project

Project Title

Training in Mediation and Restorative Justice

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Post-conflict/post-disaster rehabilitation; Ethics, religion and philosophy (incl. Inter-religious dialogue)

Project Summary

Over the last years, Europe has seen the development of very different training proposals related to Restorative Justice (RJ) and mediation, some of which tend to train mediators as individual professionals with postgraduate courses, others tend to form groups of mediators linked to specific communities. The MEDIAREJ project aims to take stock of various training methods and implementing them through joint staff training and work on innovative IOs in 4 European countries, establishing a network among trained professionals and organisations.

OBJECTIVES
– Fostering RJ competencies in different target groups by disseminating the RJ methodology thanks to training courses and multiplier events;
– Developing, through the IO and the joint staff training, a standardised competences framework, a course curriculum for training, original methods and new toolkits starting from the RJ methodology, under the supervision of Maritain and the coordination of Nathan, as well as with the specific support provided by the EFRJ;
– Providing training for 28 mediators, trainers and professionals under the supervision of the EFRJ (5-day Joint Staff Training event in Croatia) on RJ methodologies, after having involved about 50 other trainers in the piloting of the training modules within the Training Programme;
– Raising awareness on RJ for other target groups at a local level through 4 dissemination events in Italy, Spain, Croatia, Romania, as well as 2 final conferences to be organised in Triest and in Brussels;
– Empowering staff and strengthening the operational capacity of local RJ centres, creating a permanent expert group of trainers at European level (coordinated by Maritain and EFRJ) and a network among organisations from different partner countries and preparing the ground for opening new centres;
– Matching an adequate quality standard to build more expertise of experienced mediators, thus allowing skills recognition, facilitating the mobility at the European level of mediation and RJ experts.

EXPECTED RESULTS
The MEDIAREJ project will develop:
– 1 Framework of Competencies;
– 1 Training Programme;
– 1 Toolkit on Community Practices;
– 1 Collection of sensitive zones related to gender-based violence;
– 1 set of multimedia and audiovisual materials for trainers;
– 1 online training platform.

TARGET GROUPS
The project targets trainers of mediators and mediators engaged in their territories to work in mediation centres and RJ, as well as university scholars and researchers.

NEEDS ANALYSIS
This exchange is aimed at drafting agreed guidelines to clarify the essential requirements for the training of mediators and mediation trainers to operate effectively and efficiently. To reach the goal of shared guidelines, the exchange of experiences is essential, through targeted and periodic meetings. It is necessary to become aware that mediation and RJ are primarily practical sciences. There is a lot of diversity in this area, there are those who, for example, propose, as is the case in the University, postgraduate courses to train mediators.

TRANSNATIONAL DIMENSION
This joint work will involve partners from the 4 above-mentioned countries (Italy, Croatia, Romania, Spain), some with a stronger background in RJ and others with younger experience. This transnational work will be supported by the major European network organisation in the RJ field, our partner the EFRJ, based in Belgium but working at pan-European level throughout its network in 40 countries (a membership in which are already included 3 of our project partners).

PROJECT PARTNERSHIP
The project leader, the MARITAIN Institute (Italy), is a cultural institute and research centre whose staff members have sound experience in the RJ field. Our second Italian partner, NATHAN, in an association strongly committed to specialised training in mediation and promotion of the RJ humanistic approach. The consortium also includes one organisation based in Spain, AMBIT, and one from Romania, Fundatia Professional, equally committed to fostering social inclusion and working with inmates. Lastly, the partnership is completed by one organisation from Croatia, ACSW, and by the major European network in the RJ field, the European Forum for Restorative Justice.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 306358 Eur

Project Coordinator

Istituto Jacques Maritain & Country: IT

Project Partners

• ASOCIACION AMBIT
• UDRUGA ZA KREATIVNI SOCIJALNI RAD
• FUNDATIA PROFESSIONAL
• EUROPEAN FORUM FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE VZW
• A.P.S. NATHAN