Safety and Respect in School

What do we propose?

• Non-formal educational activities for 1800 students, focused on emotional and social development.
• Training sessions for 240 teachers in conflict prevention and non-violent intervention.
• Information and counseling sessions for 900 parents and legal guardians.
• Involvement of 60 experts (psychologists, social workers, counselors, police officers) in workshops and exchanges of good practices.

What activities will we carry out?

• We design and implement interactive courses for students, adapted to age groups.
• We develop a guide with 10 non-formal activities for teachers.
• We create a digital information package for parents, delivered in dedicated sessions.
• We organize an inter-institutional workshop and carry out advocacy campaigns.

What impact do we expect?

• Creating a safer and more inclusive school environment;
• Reducing the incidence of aggressive behaviors;
• Strengthening the link between school – family – community;
• Supporting sustainable and replicable interventions in other communities.

1. The problem of juvenile violence

Violence among young people is an increasingly present reality, which affects not only the personal development of those involved, but also the safety of the community as a whole.

According to the study “Bullying and cyberbullying among children. Perceptions and attitudes of children and teachers” conducted by the Save the Children organization, based on a survey conducted in Romania in 2022:

• Almost 50% of Romanian students (10-18 years old) said they had been victims of some form of violence at school.
• 82% of them said they had witnessed situations of violence at school.
• 79% say they had witnessed such situations on social networks (one of the forms of cyberbullying).

Types of juvenile violence:

• Physical: aggression, confrontations in school or on the street.
• Verbal: insults, labeling, intimidation, threats.
• Emotional: Repeated insults, insults or humiliations, social isolation, excessive control, indifference
• Online: cyberbullying, sharing images without consent, abusive messages on social networks.

Impact on youth and the community:

• Decreased self-esteem and increased anxiety among victims.
• School dropout and reduced educational performance.
• Normalization of aggression as a “method of conflict resolution”.
• Increased social tensions and decreased sense of safety in the community.

2. Our approach

The SAFETY AND RESPECT IN SCHOOL project, proposed by the MERGI INAINTE Association, brings an innovative and practical approach to combating juvenile violence:

– Non-formal courses

• Interactive sessions for students, focused on self-knowledge, empathy, non-violent communication and managing emotions.
• Creative activities (role plays, debates, group exercises) that help young people understand the effects of violence and positive alternatives.

– Involvement of schools and families

• Collaboration with teachers to introduce non-formal methods of preventing violence.
• Workshops for parents, designed to support them in understanding and managing children’s difficult behaviors.

Through this integrated approach, the project not only reacts to cases of violence, but also prevents and transforms the way young people, families and schools respond to the phenomenon.

3. Resources for Teachers and Parents or Guardians

– Teacher Guide – in PDF format

– Parent Guide – in PDF format