DOVES-Detectives Of ViolencE in Schools Erasmus Project

Project Title

DOVES-Detectives Of ViolencE in Schools

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

Violence in schools is one of the most visible forms of violence against children.It can take many forms, ranging from physical violence to psychological violence, which harm the general school climate and infringe on pupils’right to learn in a safe, nonthreatening environment.Violence has seen an increase over the years and still continues to grow.The phenomenon of school violence is present all over Europe. All the partner schools have pupils with aggressive behavior,children with a low self-esteem and there are interethnic conflicts and tensions. DOVES-Detectives Of ViolencE in Schools is a cultural and social exchange programme which involved (from September1st 2017 to August31st 2019) students(10 to 17 years old), parents, children’s relatives, teachers, school psychologists, guests who participated in different project activities (police officers, doctors, mayors, representatives of School Inspectorates), stakeholders in conflict resolution, from Romania,Poland,Greece,Estonia.The main objective of our project was to reduce violence by 40% in the partner schools. The first step was to educate (train) students (including those with behavioral disorders) and make them our partners in preventing and reducing the violent incidents in school; then to train teachers and parents, with the help of children, via innovative methods (developing educators’ psycho-pedagogical competences), to understand and manage conflicts.Another objective of the project was to do activities: to improve knowledge about violence making children and parents understand why conflicts happen;to present the positive and constructive part of the conflict and its effects;to present best practice examples on how to prevent violence and on the ways to reduce the incidents of school violence;to encourage the learning of modern foreign languages.
There were three main activities in each school:1.Children being trained as peer-mediators.Twenty children from each partner school were selected through questionnaires, letters about bullying, essays, interviews, which showed us their certain abilities that qualified them to the second step: training.They were trained by the school psychologists and/or teachers to be peer mediators (15-40 hours of training course).They learnt how to resolve conflicts without resorting to manipulation, coercion or violence. In all classrooms posters showing the names and photos of the mediators were displayed and pupils quickly knew and accepted them. Students also made boxes where pupils anonymously reported incidents of violence in their school.The peer-mediators started to solve the other students’conflicts. 2.An anti-violence room. Children involved in the project, with the help of teachers and/or psychologist, arranged a classroom where violent/nonviolent children could attend courses, workshops, film displays, an Origami/Art Course or other events. They also discussed their problems with the peer-mediators or met stakeholders interested in or dealing with school bullying there. 3.An Antiviolence Guide. Children and teachers wrote a useful guide which integrates good practices (all our project work) that focus on our common strategy of conflict resolution, prevention of violence, activities done in each school in order to reduce violence.This intellectual product of the project will serve other people and specialists that work and/or are interested in this field.Peer mediators taught – with the help of the teachers involved in the project and the school psychologists-the other students from their schools and parents how to prevent violence, the ways to reduce the incidents of school violence (what the school, students, teachers, parents, police can do), and how to react to violence. The measurable benefits of the partnership activities are the learning of strategies to prevent violence, to reduce the conflicts of violence in classrooms/in schools, and to improve the quality of school life.Conflicts among students were resolved peacefully by the trained students. Another benefit was the development of parents’, children’s and educators’ psycho-pedagogical competences to manage conflicts.The working language was English, which is not the native language of the participating countries.This helped pupils realize that it is necessary to learn modern languages.This realization is very important as it helped students increase their self-esteem.Children have built friendships across borders(they have developed the ability to be together with people who have another cultural background and to work together in a group).The school community agreed (during the various school meetings) that the implementation of the mediation program was a success(fewer incidents of aggressive behavior occurred): students learnt how to manage their anger and feelings, to accept diversity, etc.In all the schools involved, the process of training school mediators will continue for many years to come with the help of psychologists/teachers.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 91130 Eur

Project Coordinator

Scoala Gimnaziala Gh.I.Bratianu & Country: RO

Project Partners

• Kohtla-Järve Tammiku Põhikool
• Zespol Szkol Technicznych w Mielcu
• “Maria Callas” Music School of Kalamata