"Cre@T1ve Conflict Resolution and Peer-to-Peer School Mediation" is a project which will last two years (2019-2021) and comprises schools from Greece, Poland, Italy : Crema, Italy : Bari, Malta and Portugal with students from 15 to 19 years old. The direct target group is made of 30 students and 18 teachers, but the range of the project is going to influence wider groups on local, regional, national and european levels. There are planned 4 International meetings all along the two years and 3 joint staff training events, one in the opening,one in middle period and one final. This project seeks to address the problem of conflicts (e.g. bullying, racist attacks) that frequently occur among students in contemporary schools leading to negative/destructive results. Creative conflict resolution skills, tools and techniques such as mediation is an effective response to different kinds of conflicts and tensions at school. Additionally, conflict resolution skills are crucial for young citizens who live in an extremely complex society full of challenges and conflicts. The overall objective of the proposed project is to contribute to the development of responsible and active citizens of tomorrow who will build a peaceful and tolerant society where all people grow and thrive. The specific objective is to enhance analytical and creative conflict resolution skills and techniques in the partner school communities and beyond to European Union school community. Particular attention will be given to mediation as a method of peaceful and creative conflict resolution. The project results are expected to be the following: Improved knowledge and skills of teachers to support their students in handling conflicts in a peaceful and creative way. Improved knowledge of our students in how to use conflicts and tension as opportunities for growth and personal development. Mediation skills in particular developed and practiced by both students and teachers. Our schools to become communities of improved communication, mutual understanding and cooperation. Improved understanding of diversity as a source for cooperation and not conflict. Additionally participants in the project activities will also feel that they are part of a European community which is based on productive dialogue, rich culture, critical thinking and democratic values. Furthermore, the project will motivate students who have no interest or show low performance at school through team work and collaborative/co-opperative learning method activities; students will enhance their skills in research and their ICT skills; English language teaching will become more appealing for the students as they will participate in creative conflict resolution workshops and chatrooms with friends from other countries, a valuable learning experience that will also teach them how to resolve interpersonal problems constructively. The project methodology is innovative combining theory and praxis of conflict resolution, bringing closer teachers and students as members of a team who share experiences and develop key life skills for their school and their community. Additionally, during all meetings and activities interactive methodologies are applied and creativity is boosted. Not only the students who participate in the project will work and collaborate, but also the whole school communities will take part and will be involved in it - through the different activities including also the hosting families. Teachers will collaborate, investigate innovative ways of learning and teaching in terms of creative problem solving, mediation, and crucial problems in our modern societies such as diversity, gender equality, (cyber)bullying. They will develop appropriate teaching materials, share them with their students and colleagues and spread the interactive teaching methods to other schools too. The outputs of our project will be the following: Mediation groups established in each partner school which will keep operating after the end of the project. Online good practices guide with cases of successfully mediated / resolved conflicts, collected by the students with the support of their teachers. Materials to communicate our project : website, social media, EU platforms, chatrooms, a project vlog, photos, videos, press releases, e-book case study, e-newsletter, a good practices guide, different kinds of performances (e.g. role play, dancing performance, already composed project's song and performed, and more music), face-to-face debates among the pupils of the participating schools. The background of this project is mainly based on sociological context which is inseparably related to school environment where many problems and conflicts appear nowadays. The mediation method seems to be the perfect response to deal with all sorts of school problems in the contemporary schools.
“Cre@t1ve Conflict Resolution and Peer-to-Peer School Mediation” has been an Erasmus+ KA229 strategic partnership aiming at innovation through the exchange of good practices. The project lasted three years (2019-22) and comprised 6 schools from Greece/Coordinating School, Italy (2 schools), Malta, Portugal, and Poland as well as a serious number of pupils aged 15-18. I.The project’s context: was to introduce into the partner schools’ culture and beyond, the skills of a special perspective & technique for addressing tensions & conflicts among the pupils and their surroundings, the School Mediation peer-to-peer: pupils were trained by experts, accredited mediators, trained teachers, psychologists, so that they obtained mediation skills and became capable to use the mediation toolkit in practice. The project’s objectives for students and teachers were the following:1)to learn how to face tensions & conflicts in school & in their entire life,2)to enhance analytical and creative conflict resolution skills and techniques,3)to trust themselves and their peers,4)to learn and get ready to use the mediation toolkit in practice,5)to feel respectful, safe,and responsible in their school community and beyond,6)to feel & to become accepted & included,7)to become active & responsible citizens,8)Schools to grow and thrive and get prepared for the worldwide challenges. II.The activities that have taken place can be listed on two factors: 1. Activities at the local level: Local-level activities during the project’s starting period were based on partners’ training by experts so that afterward they would be able to train their colleagues and students. A lot of hours were spent in all schools for the training sessions. The first training session took place at the 1st Joint Staff Training Event and then accordingly proceeded to all Joint Staff Training Events. The Method followed was Seminars by Experts, Workshops, evaluation.All partner schools organized and set up training sessions for both teachers and students and established school mediation groups. 2. Activities at the international level: International/EU level activities were focused on a) the live mobilities/physically, b) the virtual mobilities/online, c) the online activities, d) the students' & teachers' communication & collaboration by the team building experiential method, e) the job shadowing, f) the mentoring, g) the monitoring, h) the dissemination, i) the project's impact & sustainability. International activities were mainly linked to two factors: the defined special topic of each mobility and then embedded into the project’s further topic. All activities aimed at conflict resolution through school mediation. In this perspective each hosting school organized training events and each hosted school prepared the material that had to be presented. Too many seminars and workshops by European experts took place aiming at students’ and teachers’ training towards conflict resolution and the mediation culture and method not only inside schools but also in many other domains, such as entrepreneurship, refugee issues, civic engagement, EU citizenship. III.The project’s results can be listed as follows: 1. 57 teachers and 280 students trained. 2. Mediation skills improved: students became capable to support their mates in handling conflicts. 3. Through team building,interactive & collaborative learning activities students improved their key life skills,collaboration,interaction,involvement,equity,inclusion,well-being,ICT and foreign language skills. 4. Project Participants/schools got the special feeling of belonging to the bigger EU community where everything seems so far and still very close,all different and still the same. 5. An opening and closing public event joined by local, national and international stakeholders,teachers,students,parents,experts,was organized to raise awareness among all participants. 6. Websites and relevant links on all schools' web pages, Erasmus Corners, YouTube channel, Social Media dissemination. 7. European platforms dissemination: eTwinning, School Education Gateway, Erasmus+ Results. 8. An e-newsletter. 9. An e-book with theory & bibliography,case study & good practices guide,agenda & evaluation. IV.The project’s expected longer-term benefits could be listed below: 1. The School Mediation Method will be further disseminated & recommended to schools to answer certain social issues of nowadays life in school & beyond. 2. Attempts will be made by all partner schools so that local & national authorities should take for granted the importance of the mediation method in schools. 3. School Mediation Training Centers will be created in schools. More teachers will be trained and more students will be educated. 4. Teachers will be up to innovative ways of learning & teaching by coming closer to their colleagues and to their students and by claiming against tension,conflict, bullying,racism,poverty,war. Documentation available on demand.