”The project ideas came from children. Of all project phases, the action phase is the one they like most ... High school pupils are very enthusiastic, they get involved in the activities, we are ahead of schedule with this project. It seems they have got wings and they are taking us along in their flight .. .. I love this project and I would develop it once again”, told us Mrs. Isabela Cîrstea, teacher at Theoretical High School of Bechet (Romania) who participates in the REVIS programme.
26 teachers and school councilors took part in the webinar ”Facilitating pupils-led creative projects on school violence prevention”, organised by Terre des hommes Foundation and delivered by sociologist Octavia Borș Georgescu on 23 November 2022. The teachers learnt how to guide children in implementing their projects, understanding and changing negative social norms in their school.
Is it good to let the pupils take initiative and make decisions? According to a sociological study, youth participation into society ranges from ”Young people – decoration elements” to ”Young people take initiative and make decisions”, Ms. Octavia Borș Georgescu explained. The study showed that when youth are in control of a project, the effect is positive. In fact, ”today’s teenagers are more daring, they speak what they think”, webinar teachers noticed.
Pupils-led creative projects on school violence prevention make them understand school violence deeply, generate ideas tailored to children world, offer the adults an access to their reality and lead to beneficial youth behaviour changes, concluded the webinar participants. Teachers were guided to facilitate development of these projects based on the Guide ”Child led projects on school violence prevention”, created within the REVIS programme.
”The Guide was well structured and very useful in classrooms. The pupils were receptive, participative, they took part in all the 6 workshops provided in the Guide. Now they are preparing implementation of the project. They confessed that the most interesting activities were the ones regarding school safety map, and the most difficult: how not to use nasty words or insults among colleagues”, told us Mrs. Doina Adam, teacher at Technological High School of Baia de Fier.
At present, pupils from 10 high schools – included in the REVIS programme - have initiated and develop, under facilitating teachers’ guidance, school violence reduction projects: creation of posters, drawings, wall painting, theatre plays, etc.. During the activities, some teenagers took up the leader’s role, each pupil trying to integrate in the project group and make himself useful, the webinar participants showed.
The webinar was an opportunity for learning, clarification, awareness and exchange of experience among teachers, based on the activities achieved so far.
The REVIS project - Responding to peer violence among children in schools and adjacent settings” is being implemented in Romania by Terre des hommes Foundation and is co-funded from “Rights, Equality and Citizenship” (2014-2020) Programme of the European Union
