TUDOR ARGHEZI THEORETICAL HIGHSCHOOL, CRAIOVA, DOLJ

NEWSLETTER COORDINATORS:

TEACHERS: MANAFU GEORGETA-PROJECT COORDINATOR

POPESCU OANA-LEARNER

STUDENT: GOLBAN CRISTINA-LEARNER

SCHOOL YEAR 2011-2012

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3RD Newsletter of the Grundtvig Partnership

“NO MORE TEARS” 2011-2012YEAR 2011 N 3 OCTOBER

CONTENTS1.THE GRUNDTVIG PROJECT“NO MORE TEARS”

2.PROJECT ACTIVITIES

3.THE CONFERENCE

4.THE WORHSHOP

5. THE WORK VISIT

6. THE ROUND TABLE

7. THE WORKSHOP

8. ARTICLES

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Grundtvig Project „No more tears” is a learning partnership aimed at adults, which is being implemented at a European level by four institutions: The Seyhan School Inspectorate- Adana, Turkey The Adult Centre of Monterroso – Monterroso, Spania The „Tudor Arghezi” Theoretical High school- Craiova, România Institut für die Förderung von Mehrsprachigkeit, Interkulturellen Kompetenzen und Gleichbehandlung IFMIK- Viena, Austria.

The Grundtvig Partnership „No more tears” has the national ID GRU-10-P-LP-25-DJ-TR, and its number as a Lifelong Learning Programme is LLP- Project 2010-1-TR1-GRU06-16423 2

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

In March and April we disseminated the transnational meeting in Wien, Austria. We organised 4 countywide activities approved by the Teachers’ Committee of Dolj and attended by project learners and Dolj teachers.

In September we attended the third transnational meeting in Monterosso, Spain.

The keywords of the project are: quality, responsibility, dedication, high standards, planning, assumption, inclusion, volunteering and enthusiasm.

This project is a successful one, because it is organised at a European, national, county and local level. We also share our experience with different European institutions (a high school, an educational centre within a penitenciary, the school inspectorate in Seyhan and an NGO in Wien).

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2st Newsletter of the Grundtvig Partnership

“NO MORE TEARS” 2010-2012YEAR 2011 N 3 OCTOBER

The county conference ” School and family violence.A social issue. Case studies.”-the 8th of April 2011

The aim of the activity was to enable participants to exchange opinions, experience and examples of good practice concerning the best ways to reduce school and family violence.

The conference was organised by the members of the implementing committee, who were also moderators of the following three sections:

1.School and family violence. Case studies.2.The influence of the Internet and the media in violent behaviour in adults.

Case studies.3.Examples of good practice in adults’ education.

The activity was attended by project learners and Dolj tachers. The specific objectives of the activity were:The identification of the main factors that lead to a violent behaviour The analysis of the social consequences that violent behaviour determine, by means of case studies. The promotion of a set of measures that can be taken in order to reduce school and family violence. The consolidation of the relationship between parents, school and the local community. The articles that were presented during this activity were published in the fourth issue of the “No more tears” magazine.

The county Workshop- “Conflict mediation techniques” The 5th of May 2011

The objectives of this workshop were: - the promotion of mediation as a means of prevention and peaceful solution of conflicts; - the enhancement of the civic spirit, of the co-operation and of a responsible, non-aggressive behaviour in family, school and society; - the identification of different means of mediating conflicts, with emphasis on the importance of training peer mediators; - the familiarization with such techniques by means of role plays. This workshop was attended by the learners involved in the” No more tears” Grundtvig project. After the participants introduced themselves, they helped define conflicts, they identified some possible causes for the occurence of conflicts, and briefly classified them.

The workshop continued with the identification of the means of turning conflicts into something positive, considering the fact that they cannot be utterly eliminated from people’s lives.

Another aspect which was addressed during this workshop was the difference between a conflict and violence, with emphasis on the fact that violence can sometimes be the means by which some conflicts are solved. The participants put together a list of means of solving conflicts, including negotiation and mediation, and explained the difference between them.

In the second part of the workshop the participants talked about the role of peer mediation in solving conflicts. They identified the advantages of implementing the peer mediation system in our school.

The moderators presented the steps of implementing this type of system, and used their own school as an example. They talked about the possible problems that the implementation of the mediation system might arise and stressed the role of the

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constant assessment of the way in which peer mediation works in their school. At the end of the activity the participants offered feedback related to the workshop.

Work visit on ’’ The prevention of school violence”The 24th of May 2011

Our school was included in a Lifelong Learning Programme activity, organized by the County Centre for Educational Resources and Assistance. It involved nine European citizens from seven countries, who visited ’’ Tudor Arghezi” in order to study the implementation of counselling activities and peer mediation as means to prevent school violence.

The programme of the activity included a general presentation of the Tudor Arghezi Theoretical Highschool, with emphasis on its security characteristics, counselling activities, peer mediation system, internal regulations and out-of-school activities.

The aim of this visit was to enable an exchange of experiences related to the prevention of school violence, because after the presentations the participants talked about the measures that have been taken in their own institutions in order to prevent violence.

The final, most practical activity of this visit was meeting some of the students involved in peer mediation. They answered some of the questions the visitors had about the way in which the peer mediation system was implemented in our school and shared some personal experiences related to their status of peer mediators. They also mentioned the fact that they benefit from full support from the school staff in solving conflicts in a peaceful way and in not being bullied for being peer mediators.

County Round Table “Tolerance, a European value”- the 2nd of June 2011-

The aim of the activity was to enable the participants to share their opinions, their experience and different examples of good practice related to the main types of tolerance, but also to cultural diversity and to the importance of developing an active European citizenship, based on common values.

The articles of this round table were divided in three sections:• Tolerance, a European value• Parents – school – community, influential factors in the development of tolerant behaviour• Examples of good practice used in adults’ education in order to promote tolerance.

The specific objectives of this activity were:The identification of the main types of tolerance (religious, political, racial, etc)The concept of Freedom of opinion;The promotion of intercultural dialogue as a tool which would prove useful in helping people acquire a set of skills and knowledge and create a more complex, more open context;The acknowledgement of the importance of approaching cultural diversity in formal and nonformal education within the new international context;The realization of the fact that European citizens need to develop an active citizenship, based on common values while respecting cultural diversity.

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The articles presented during this activity were published in the fourth issue of the „No more tears” magazine.

The County Workshop “Violence versus tolerance! ”-the 2nd of June 2011-

This workshop was the sixth activity organized within the framework of the ”No more tears” Grundtvig project. It was approved by the Dolj teachers’ committee and implemented in eight institutions/highschools/schools in the Dolj county.The specific objectives of this activity were:

- the identification of the effects of a violent kind of behaviour in school, family and the society; - the promotion of tolerance, diversity, assertiveness; - the familiarization with the formal regulations related to the prevention of family violence; - the identification of the influence of stereotypes and preconceptions on intolerant behaviour;- the development of social skills.

The aim of this activity was to identify the main factors which lead to school and family violence and to promote tolerance, diversity and an assertive type of behaviour.

Mediation Procedures

There is a standard procedure in meeting the victim of the aggression, which is made of six stages:1. Presentation (Example: Hello! My name is Ion Ion, I am peer mediator, and he is my colleague, Andrei Popescu. He will not say anything; he will only make some notes.)2. Exposition of the facts (Example: I understand that yesterday you were involved in a conflict. What happened, exactly? - Description of the events)3. Evaluation of the emotional impact on the victim (Example: How did you feel at that moment?)4. Evaluation of the emotional impact on close people (Example: How did your mother react when she saw you in that state?)5. Identification of mediation solutions (Example: What should your colleague do in order for you to forgive him?) If the victim cannot or does not accept mediation solutions, peer mediators turn to the school staff authorized in this matter.6. Setting up of a meeting with the aggressor for the actual mediation

The meeting with the aggressor student includes more stages:1. Presentation (as in the previous example)2. Explanation of the cause (Example: What prompted you to do this?)3. Evaluation of the emotional impact on the victim (Example: Your mate said that he felt bad)4. Evaluation of the emotional impact on close people (Example: When your colleague came home last night …)5. Presentation of the mediation solutions (Example: Your mate has agreed to be reconciled, provided that…) If the abuser refuses the solutions or the actions required by the victim or the peer mediators, they report the situation to the authorized staff.6. Setting up of a meeting with the victim for the actual mediation.

The meditation meeting occurs after they establish a good moment. This meeting is attended by the peer mediator, the victim and the aggressor. If the aggressor or the

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victim want a parent/teacher (an adult) to be there, a member of the staff will also attend the discussion, because the students cannot deal with adults themselves.Normally the meditation meeting ends with reconciliation, provided that this doesn’t happen again. The student who committed the act of violence is no longer allowed to repeat it neither towards the victim nor towards his classmates.

The assigned peer mediators will ask their parents to sign a contract with the school, by which they will express their agreement to be a peer mediator, to co-operate with the authorized staff and have a proper social and school behaviour. They will receive personalized badges, so that they may be easily identified and asked for help if a peer mediator from the victim's class is not around when the incident happens. 

The five keys. Activity sheet for students

It is very difficult, even impossible to open a locked door (if you are not really, really strong). But if you have a key to put in the look, you twist it and the door will open. Sometimes, when friends are fighting, they are like locked doors: they do not listen to anyone and they do not open. If you have the key of your friends’ thoughts, you can help them solve their problems. Fortunately, there are keys which can help you help your friends. You can’t touch them, but you can learn how to use them. They are very important because they make friends and colleagues talk openly about their conflicts. The five keys are: Do not judge. Peer mediators are impartial, even if they think that one of the parts is right or wrong.

Do not give advice. Sometimes peer mediators can think of solutions, but they must not suggest anything to those involved, it is their conflict and they have to solve it themselves the way they want to. This is the only way to make them feel responsible.

Be equally empathic. An empathetic mediator tries to understand the people who were involved in the conflict putting himself into their respective place. Avoid taking sides, but try to understand the way in which both of them think and see things.

Keep the confidentiality. People feel better when they talk about their feelings and problems, if they know that the peer mediators will not tell the story to anyone.

Show that you care. Within the mediation process, the mediators also take people into account. They do everything they can in order to help the others reconcile and solve their conflicts. If the mediators respect the mediation process, the others will trust that using it will help them solve their problem.

Tolerance

Tolerance is a social, ethical and religious concept that may be applied to a community or to every individual. It means respect for the other people, their freedom, their thoughts, their behaviour, or their different opinions.

The 16th of November in annully celebrated as the International Tolerance Day by organizing special programmes and activities in order to convey the message of tolerance among students. It is an occasion for educational, as well as governmental institutions and NGOs to co-operate with the media in order to promote this value.

Tolerance is seen as an attitude, put into practice by being tolerant. They both ensure the peaceful co-habitation of historically, culturally and politically different groups of people.

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The difference between tolerance and recognition is made by the two complementary tendencies: democratic inclusion and the right to be different.

The characeristics of tolerance are: Respect for the others, however different they may be; Respect for the freedom of choice; Solidarity; Social dialogue; responsibility

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