Violence is one of the leading causes of death and disability among young people in Europe. In Europe the proportion of the population aged 15-29 years is approximately 19.3% . Over 10,000 15-29 year old Europeans lose their lives to violence each year (World Health Organization, 2016) and far more suffer physical, emotional, psychological or social harm due to involvement in, witnessing or fearing violence. Violence can affect every aspect of young people's lives, hampering their prospects for education, employment and health, and reducing their ability to form healthy (both physical and mental) personal and social relationships. Compared with other age groups, young people have increased risks of involvement in violence as both victims and perpetrators (Sethi et al, 2010; Bellis et al, 2011). Youth is a period marked by rapid physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural changes that can contribute to both aggression and vulnerability to violence. When children enter formal education, the provision of safe school environments is critical in protecting them from youth violence, and enabling them to learn and develop effectively. This evidence suggests that when schools are successful in crafting a climate of civility, one that reinforces the expectation that students and adults will maintain civil interactions, that climate helps to control students’ aggressive behaviour. The strategies for maintaining peaceful interactions must be positive; a punitive zero tolerance policy may remove the most troubled and troubling students without improving the overall school climate. How young people cope with these challenges depends on the strength of their social and emotional skills, the family and social support they have around them and the cultural and social norms they have learned during childhood. Data are only readily available for violence resulting in death. A possible solution is to change the “value of the other”, to understand that when I care for others and cooperate with others that that is a better way of life. Furthermore, negative effects of violence on the development and socialization of the youth may be too strong and long-lasting, which raises the question to detect the occurrence of these behaviours, to assess the risk of these behaviours and take effective measures to overcome involvement in these behaviours. Our proposal consists of a dedicated programme for teachers, school psychologists, counsellors, principals involved in the resilience process, prevention and assessment on possible extreme levels of violence as well as for resilience and risk factors and coping strategies for the occurrence and prevention of violence. The topicality of this problem is reinforced by the fact that in the early formation of destructive behaviours the resistance to change those behaviours over time is much larger, which creates additional difficulties and can have a major negative consequence for social adjustment, social interactions among youth as well as for school achievement and commitment to pro-social behaviours. EXPECTED IMPACT: - School psychologists / School counsellors / Teachers / Professionals working with youngsters with deviant behaviour • Equip them with necessarily assessment and prevention mechanism towards indicating possible violence factors and prevention of those when indicated. These include supporting effective classroom management practices, promoting cooperative learning techniques, providing educators with training and support to better meet the diverse needs of students, providing opportunities to actively engage families, and creating open communication and decision-making processes. • They will gain important knowledge about their students’ interests and ideas that can be translated into effective and engaging classroom instruction. TARGET GROUPS: • Teachers • Professionals working with youngsters with deviant behaviour • School psychologists • School counsellors TARGET GROUPS AS BENEFICIARIES: • Students (7-18 years old) • Their parents • Educational authorities • Wider society INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS: IO1: Online portal “Centre for the prevention of violence in school environment” (for professionals working with students with violent behaviour or tendencies) IO2: Handbook “Protective and risk factors of development of different types and possible prevention towards violence” IO3: Tool to assess for student’s exposure to violence IO4: Handbook on prevention of violence, “Violence Prevention in Schools” PARTNERSHIP: P1: The national umbrella organisation of psychologists, teachers and educators in Bulgaria P2: Private school that is supporting prevention of violence P3: Private school implementing Montesori method P4: Private evening school for students with deviant behaviour P5: Private school pioneering in prevention of violence P6: Teachers' training provider and developer of MOOC and ODL solutions
Above summary is provided in English.