Description
The Project ''A systemic approach to peer violence in educational institutions – model and guidelines'' (NasVIZ) adopts a broader approach to recognizing, treating and preventing peer violence in educational institutions. There are no validated systemic approaches to peer violence in Slovenia. The project will remedy this by developing a model and guidelines for the prevention and treatment of violence in educational institutions. Overcoming the notion that peer violence is only a problem in the school environment, the project includes various governmental and nongovernmental organisations that function in the local community. The project’s main objective is to reduce violence in schools with the cooperation of local communities. Target groups benefiting from the project are elementary school pupils, their parents and professionals. The Norwegian partner, dedicated to promoting democratic school environments, will indicate good practices of similar models. The project will also encourage the development of a national strategy aimed at a more comprehensive approach to addressing peer violence.
Summary of project results
In Slovenia, we needed the project that would overcome the situation of having no validated systemic approaches to recognize, treat and prevent peer violence. »NasVIZ« therefore developed a comprehensive model and guidelines of general value for the prevention and treatment of peer violence in educational institutions. The results will be sustained mainly through the systematic use of the manual for the professionals in the field of education, and through the sustainable partnership in the community that was established within the project. The project’s main objective was to reduce violence in elementary school through the development and testing of the model that should serve as a good example for practice and cooperation in the field of preventing and treating peer violence. The project was successful at its striving for less peer violence in the partner school, which was confirmed by the findings of the thorough statistical evaluation, presented in the manual for the professionals. The main outcome of the project was an evaluated innovative model of coping with peer violence in schools, presented in the tripartite manual for the professionals, covering (1) the theoretical/conceptual basis of the model, (2) preventive activities and (3) practical procedures and guidelines for dealing with peer violence and helping all directly and indirectly involved pupils. The manual instantly reached the majority of elementary schools in Slovenia, since it was distributed to all the participants as part of the study material at the annual national professional training for school principals. The manual is well accepted at all levels of educational practice and policy. It is also available on the project informative-educative webpage:
http://za-nenasilno-skupnost.si/en/ The project delivered a sustainable local partners network, a tested innovative model of coping with peer violence, suggestions for the national curriculum and systemic suggestions for improvement in the field of preventing and treating peer violence in school. The beneficiaries – pupils, parents, professionals – were involved and engaged at all the stages of the project. Their continuous active participation within the whole school approach contributed to their sense of ownership in relation to the invented model for
Summary of bilateral results
The donor partnership - in form of project collaboration and exchange of working visits - improved our shared knowledge and understanding of the phenomena and of the measures needed to successfully cope with the peer violence within the systemic approach. The donor partner European Wergeland Centre (EWC) contributed to the project with the compilation of good practices from the field, finally included in the EWC monograph on whole school approach for the prevention of peer violence in schools and communities for various target groups, interested in preventing violence. The project did not receive bilateral funds. The EWC experience and knowledge, shared within the project, enabled their invaluable contribution in the process of developing the innovative comprehensive model for coping with peer violence in educational settings. The general framework of the model consists of the positive values of democracy, human rights and intercultural dialogue that have been internationally promoted by EWC since its foundation. The bilateral partnership has firmly increased the strength, innovativeness and visibility of the project results. The project cooperation (regarding EWC monograph on the whole school approach) and sharing the know-how within the exchanged working visits resulted in added value of the manual for the practitioners in the field.