Pan-Hellenic Network of Schools For School Peer Mediation programme
Who
Anadrasis Initiative Information
Why
School violence in recent years is also taking on a large dimension in Greek schools. One of its most effective practices is "School Mediation". This is a process in which pupils and students, after being trained by teachers, teachers who have been involved in and trained on this subject, mediate student conflicts.
The need to set up a Network of Schools for School Mediation is great because of only the personal involvement of children can reduce the intensity and duration of the school violence and intimidation.
What
The Youth Counseling Station of Cyclades, in collaboration with the Youth Counseling Stations of Dodecanese, Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Western Macedonia, and Thessaly, after 6 years of Ant bulling programs, we create this year the Pan-Hellenic Network of Schools for School Mediation, with the participation of Primary and Secondary Schools from 13 islands in the South Aegean, as well as corresponding schools from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Western Macedonia, and Thessaly.
The islands of the South Aegean who participating in the NETWORK are Andros, Astypalea, Anafi, Kos, Paros, Naxos, Rhodes, Leros, Tinos, Karpathos, Syros, Symi, Folegandros.
The training of educators who will train the student mediators is done through the Youth Counseling Station of Cyclades.
Peer mediation
What is it?
In mediation, an unbiased third party assists others in the resolution of conflicts with a ‘win-win’, rather than a ‘win-lose’ outcome.
Peer mediation aims to train young people as mediators to facilitate solutions to disputes among their peers.
How does it work?
Peer mediators are trained in problem-solving, conflict resolution, communication and active listening skills to intervene in interpersonal conflicts to prevent more serious problems developing.
How
Through training, peer mediators learn that conflict can be resolved constructively, and can assist to encourage peers to move from blaming each other to devising solutions acceptable to all young people involved. This approach is used increasingly in school settings focusing on bullying and violence prevention and constructive conflict resolution.
Programs may occur in an informal setting (such as the playground) or may occur in the classroom or within a neutral mediation space.
Peer mediation may be implemented as a stand-alone program, however, the majority of programs utilize peer mediation as one part of broader violence prevention and conflict resolution program. For the needs of the training, we use e-course through MOODLE platform. Through the platform, there is also the possibility of teleconferencing with all the schools, or alternatively by a group of schools with the program coordinators (Big Blue Button).
NETWORK ACTIONS
The training of professionals for 15 weeks who train the young mediators is done, through the Youth Counseling Station of Cyclades. For the needs of the training, we use e-course through MOODLE platform.
Through the platform, there is also the possibility of teleconferencing with all the schools, or alternatively by a group of schools with the program coordinators (Big Blue Button)
- training seminars in school mediation for 10 weeks, with interactive and experiential exercises to prevent violence in schools as well as to train student mediators from the educators.
- cooperation with educational institutions, artistic groups, local organizations, cultural associations distribution of printed material related to school violence and bodies that can be addressed by students, pupils
- publishing an electronic newspaper, creating a web site with educational material and presenting good practices.
- an online question-writing, case-recording and exchange of views form school
- educational interventions in schools that have bullying incidents.
- using a Practical Guide to Identifying Violence at School and Addressing it with Targeted Interventions.
School mediation has spectacular results in reducing school violence, its intensity, its frequency and its duration, as it provides place AND TIME to young people to speak and, above all, to hear.
When
Continuously, mostly during school semesters
Effect
As Director of the Youth Counseling Station of Cyclades I had the responsibility and the participation at the PAN-HELLENIC NETWORK OF SCHOOLS for Peer Mediation programme in Greece.
Assessment
Effectiveness:
High degree / regularly
Gender sensitivity:
High degree / regularly
Culture sensitivity:
High degree / regularly
Doable (practical):
High degree / regularly
Participatory:
High degree / regularly
Replicable and adaptable:
High degree / regularly
Assessment/evaluated:
High degree / regularly
Type of good practice
Methods, Training tool (Train the trainer of online trains course)
Themes
Democratic dialogue, Promoting democratic values, Social inclusion
Duration
Continuously
Type of activity
Group activity
Resourses
On line courses for professionals for peer mediation programme with MOODLE. The training is based on systemic approach. The distance learning system based on the use of e-Learning Moodle platform. The Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Developmental Learning Environment) is certified free educational content management software (Course Management System). Moodle is primarily used for the purpose of asynchronous Distance learning. We use also Big Blue Button programme for synchronous distance Learning. Big Blue Button enables you to share your audio, slides, chat, video, and desktop with students. Built-in polling makes it easy to engage students and recording your lectures means that you can make them available for later review. - Meetings - Contract, rules - Activities - experiential seminars for teachers and students (10 sessions - 20 hours) - Teleconferences between Coordinators, Teachers, different groups of students / mediators.