Restorative practices are a product of their predecessor - restorative justice. According to the International Institute for Restorative Practices “restorative justice is reactive, consisting of formal or informal responses to crime and other wrongdoing after it occurs” while “restorative practices also include the use of informal and formal processes that precede wrongdoing, those that pro-actively build relationships and a sense of community to prevent conflict and wrongdoing” (International Institute of Restorative Practices, 2015-2016). Contrastively, the following definition of conflict resolution exemplifies the fact that conflict resolution practices are often implemented after a situation of conflict has occurred. Conflict resolution “is the process by which two or more parties engaged in a disagreement, dispute, or debate reach an agreement resolving it.” Within the framework of the ERASMUS+ programme, which recognises the need to create a more cohesive and inclusive society in Europe in which citizens play an active role, this project aims to build a Level 5 accredited course (of 20 ECTS) that will enable participants to use tools and techniques that will encourage active citizenship through the use of restorative practices. Moreover, the target groups that the project is aimed at encompass ERASMUS+’s main objectives, since students, trainees, apprentices, pupils, adult learners, young people, volunteers, teachers, trainers, youth workers, and professionals of organisations active in the fields of education, training and youth may all be impacted by the success of the course. In view of the above, SOS Malta is partnering with the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST) as an educational institutions as well as the Commission on Domestic Violence, Malta; the Childhood Development Initiative, Ireland; SGM Educational Solutions, Germany; and Brainshuttle, Spain to develop a Level 5 Undergraduate Certificate course that can be taken part-time and online with the view of providing, law enforcement officials, educators, councillors, social workers, and other relevant professionals with the tools and techniques necessary to implement restorative practices. By means of the Bologna Accords, the accredited course will be recognised throughout Europe. The course will be worth 20 ECTS and therefore will include 100 contact hours and an additional 400 hours of self-study. This project, therefore, fits into Key Action 2 of the ERASMUS+ Programme, since the outputs of the course to be developed will address each one of the Actions outline under Key Action 2 in the ERASMUS+ Programme Guide and, as such, may “result in the development, transfer and/or implementation of innovative practices at organisational, local, regional, national or European levels” (European Commission, 2017, p. 104). Moreover, within Key Action 2, this project seeks to engage with the Priority Area Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, since the project will attempt to formulate an innovative online course that will provide unique knowledge and skills to its participants as well as introduce innovative ways of answering to conflict and preventing conflict within schools and for other vulnerable groups such as domestic abuse victims.
The Erasmus+ Project TReP was born out of a growing need Europe-wide for the introduction of alternative pathways to dealing with conflict coupled with methods to strengthen and maintain relationships at various strata of society, aligning with the Erasmus+ Programme Framework, which gives focus to the need of creating a more cohesive and inclusive society in Europe in which citizens play an active role. At the time of proposal writing, it became clear that there was no European accredited online course on Restorative Practices and more awareness was needed around the benefits that such tools could offer to individuals / communities be it in the workplace, school, prison and any other spaces which see people coming together. With this in mind, TReP aimed at introducing a Level 5 accredited course (of 30 ECTS), which once completed would enable learners to use tools and techniques that will encourage active citizenship through the use of restorative practices. Moreover, the groups that the project targeted align with ERASMUS+’s main objectives and included students, trainees, apprentices, adult learners, young people, volunteers, teachers, trainers, youth workers, and professionals of organisations active in the fields of education. In order to meet its objectives, over the course of 3 years, the project saw 6 transnational partners with their own unique skill set, coming together to explore, develop and pilot the ‘MCAST Undergraduate Certificate in Restorative Practices’, an online EQF/MQF Level 5 Undergraduate Course of 30 ECTS, available on a part-time basis to participants throughout Europe. More specifically Solidarity Overseas Services Malta (SOS Malta) as lead partner, partnered with Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST), the Childhood Development Initiative, Ireland (CDI; SGM Educational Solutions, Germany (SGM); Brainshuttle, Spain (BS) and Partners Bulgaria Foundation, Bulgaria (PBF). The following activities were undertaken in order to ensure the structured development of the course: 1) A Research & Needs Analysis - The TReP Regional Report - To ensure that the development of the Level 5 Course filled market gaps and was in line with the current needs of both the direct target group (professionals working with people) and the indirect target group (disadvantaged groups). 2) Course Preparations - The TReP Regional Report paved the way for the design of the course. The consortium met in Ireland in order to collaboratively compile possible course content and develop the recommendations that would shape the development of the content. 3) The Course Design - Through this output, the consortium selected and designed the final contents and structure of the course which would total to 150 contact hours and 600 hours of self-study (520hrs self-study + 80hrs Assessments). The methods of assessments were also developed at this stage with the assessment criteria designed based on the learning objectives and outcomes each unit was set out to address. 4) Developing the Online Component - Following course content creation and accreditation, the next step was the transposition of the course content into an engaging and interactive e-learning format, using Moodle as the Learning Management System (LMS) being the LMS implemented at MCAST for their students. 5) Accreditation in accordance with the Bologna Process, providing the course with a pan-European accreditation. 6) The Running of the Pilot Course 6.1) Launch of the Pilot Course 6.2) Selection of Participants - Selection Criteria was developed for the application stage - 34 participants were selected from the different partner countries, with various professional backgrounds including social workers, restorative practitioners, project coordinators; prison workers; teachers; anti-bullying unit, construction etc. 6.3) Piloting (January 2021 - October 2021) - The piloting of the course included the assessment of the individuals participating in the course. Upon course and assessment completion, participants received a Level 5 Undergraduate Certificate on Restorative Practices of 30 ECTS. 7) Evaluation of the Pilot Course - Feedback from students was recorded at various stages and their general feedback reviewed and general improvements integrated incrementally. The course was completed by 18 participants from the majority of partner countries (MT, ES, DE, IR) who are now able to offer their services in their respective contexts, bringing RP to schools, prisons and other workplaces and individual professions inadvertently reaching disadvantaged groups that may not have had access to such services prior to this project. Furthermore, through the various dissemination activities of the project, a wider audience has gained knowledge about Restorative Practices and professionals from several fields have an awareness around the benefits of implementing such practices into their respective professions.