This project is an answer to the need for improvements at the level of innovative pedagogical practices in education with special emphasis on the relationships between students. Although we, humans, have moved to the 21st century and our educational systems are based on using modern methodologies and progressive ICT tools, bullying as a problem is still present. What is more important is the fact that thanks to the availibility of modern technology it has acquired new forms, cyber bullyin, e.g. Having debated these issues on eTwinning, we have come to the conclusion that each one of these 6 project partners has knowledge about at least one particular innovative pedagogical practice that all the others want to acquire in order to improve their practices of the figts against bullying at at their schools. At the same time, we hope that by doing so we will be able to promote collaborative learning and enhance critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving skills among our students and to get them actively engaged in their learning process and take responsibility for it. The main goal of this project is to fight and prevent bullying by taking it into agenda with its all aspects. We have experienced the topic scientifically, discussed the best and simply applicable solution in the schools and selected the methodology to be applied to prevent it in our schools. We aim to provide an activity for every single student in school and peer environment apart from ordinary school programme. Academic success, school sport facilities or other artistic and musical facilities only include very less number of students. We have to include everyone in a way that everybody will be able to show an ability to improve his/her self-esteem, self-confidence so feel acceptance in social life. The students will work, guided by their teachers, on subjects as: prevention of bullying, and cyberbullying, school bullying policies, creating tools for prevention of bullying, peer learning/peer teaching. Familiarizing students with the issue of “Be allies not bullies” means that the students will get to know the needs and the fears of a rapidly changing society. Seminars and meetings will be organized for teachers and parents for improving the motivation on the topic and the ways to overcome bullying theoretically. The target groups of our project are made up of all the students (respectively 2500 students) and teachers from partner schools, other topically related institutions, trainers and members, and parents of the studetns. By working in mixed international workshops, the students will get a first-hand experience of 'Europe growing together'. They will be led to greater tolerance and acceptance. The concept of sustainability is the most important component in all stages of activities during the project. This means that students acquire skills to take part in social process. It is more about the qualification of students to realize their strengths and weaknesses. By strengthening personal skills (e.g. learning and social skills), through self–assessment and external assessment, students are able to achieve the optimal level in every type of school training and the secured future of young people in today's Europe.
The international project partnership titled Be Allies, Not Bullies was taken at the time of its planning as a response to the need to improve the level of innovative pedagogical practices in education, with special emphasis on relationships between students. Although humankind has successfully moved into the 21st century, dominated by modern technology and the use of social networks in both personal life and education, the issue of healthy relationships has remained equally relevant. Despite the progress and development of education systems based on the use of modern methodologies and progressive ICT tools, bullying in the school environment as a problem still exists. More important is the fact that thanks to the availability of modern technology it has gained new forms such as cyberbullying, etc. This project, which was the result of a joint discussion in the eTwinning environment, aimed to use the knowledge and best practices of 6 project partners (Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Slovakia, Italy, Turkey) concerning innovative pedagogical practice in the field of combating bullying, especially through prevention and identifying signs of intolerance in schools. In this spirit, we have tried to promote common learning and improve the ability to think critically, think creatively and solve problems among our students and to actively involve them in the learning process and take responsibility for it. The main goal of this project was to fight bullying and try to prevent it. Our aim was to create conditions for project participants in which they could try out all the roles and positions of people involved in the bullying process first-hand, and thus point out the destructive aspect of such behaviour. The project was originally designed for 24 months with one thematic meeting in each of the six partner schools. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was extended by 10 months, but still failed to hold 2 activities with traditional face-to-face meetings in partner schools. These activities therefore took place in a virtual form. The basic content of the meetings included topics such as prevention of bullying and cyberbullying, anti-bullying school policy, creation of tools for prevention of bullying, mutual peer-learning, which also corresponds to the content of the official project website www.banb.eu Each LTT activity was followed by a series of meetings and workshops in partner schools, the aim of which was to disseminate the content, methodology, and skills acquired at the meeting further among peers at school and in the wider area outside school. The target group of this project were mainly students aged 12-17 (approx. 2,500) and teachers from partner schools and other related institutions at the local and regional level. Thanks to working in mixed international groups, the participants of the project had a chance to experience what "common Europe" means in practice. By participating in the project, they spread the awareness of mutual tolerance and acceptance. The concept of sustainability was an important part in all phases of the project. This means that the participants acquired the skills necessary for healthy contact in the process of their socialization, thanks to which they acquired the ability to realize their strengths and weaknesses. By strengthening personal skills, through self-assessment and external evaluation, participants learned how to achieve the optimal level in each type of schooling and the safe future of young people in today's Europe. A significant benefit was also the improvement in communication skills in a foreign language – English.