Lately the media in Romania was abundant with news about children who used weapons against each other or got into fights or ran away from home as a result of agressions from other children or adults. In other words, this type of facts are more common than car accidents. Is being safe so rare for children?
We need a total amount of 18.000 euro to prevent violence in schools from 4 counties and Bucharest. (See how the amounts will be used at the end of the article). You can donate directly to our account mentioning ``antiviolence``: FUNDATIA TERRE DES HOMMES - AIDE A L`ENFANCE DANS LE MONDE, UniCredit Bank RO81 BACX 0000 0010 2791 3000. If you represent a company and wish to know more, write to adresa alexandra.necsuleu@tdh.org
To create a safer school environment, we are currently working "at the grassroots" to explain the causes of violence.
In order for abusers to change their perception of the victim (often seen as different and therefore vulnerable), they need to understand at a rational level that all children have equal rights and that difference is not a weakness. Of course, the mechanisms are more complex, but this would be the brief explanation of how it works. "Don't forget that bullies don't actually hate you, but they hate themselves and see in you what they want to become" - says a young man I worked with, Darius (Romania)
What we did so far (2023-2024)
- trainings with 116 teachers from eight schools in Romania (plus over 100 teachers took part in webinars)
- Following our training, teachers worked with more than 100 teenagers between 12-18 years old through creative exercises such as role playing, drawing or brainstorming on a given theme
- Created and provided useful resources to teachers, including prevention methodology and violence studies.
What do we do next?
In order for our intervention to continue, we must provide the children with material resources to put into practice their own creative initiatives. These initiatives, which will raise awareness in the community about gender-based violence, will be take various forms and it is important to let the children choose themselves: creative mini-projects in schools, creative campaigns, visual materials, multimedia, interactive plays , art exhibitions with themes related to gender equality. The projects will be coordinated entirely by the children, with the support of the facilitators, to ensure the most significant impact. Other options are creative writing workshops where children will create poems or stories about respect and empathy, as well as organizing debates and round tables in schools or communities. Thus, after understanding the causes of violence, children themselves will become agents of change and promote equality and positive attitudes.
The initiatives will then be presented by the children themselves in the four counties and Bucharest, in front of representatives of local authorities, teachers, parents, organizations involved in the protection of children's rights and gender equality. These presentations are essential to draw attention to the issues of gender-based violence and provide children with the opportunity to be recognized as agents of change and to inspire other communities to take similar action with lasting and widespread impact.
Effects
- Children will feel valued and listened to
- All the children in those schools will feel safer and speak openly, seeing that the subject is being addressed at school level
- The children and adults involved will become more empathetic after understanding rationally how and why violence occurs. Through the snowball effect, they will in turn promote positive attitudes.
Why we need the funds
4.400 euro will be used for children`s initiatives
4000 + 7.600 euro will be used for facilitators working with children to ensure coherence
2.000 euro for organising meetings with institutions/representatives of the communities
We take violence seriously, help us take measures!
