PREVENT- Youth violence among peers: motives, causes & prevention techniques

The project PREVENT- Youth violence among peers: motives, causes & prevention techniques, is currently being implemented by the Greek organization "The Smile of the Child" and partners from the donor countries: the NORD University (Norway) and the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police (Iceland). The project is funded by the Ministry of Economy & Finance through the Bilateral Relations Fund of the Single European Economic Area Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 (EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021).

The objectives of the project are:

• Investigation of needs, existing gaps and presentation of good practices regarding youth violence in Greece, Norway and Iceland.
• Training of caregivers and professionals (social workers, psychologists and teachers) of the organization "The Smile of the Child" who support adolescents with a history of abuse and psychosocial difficulties for better management of such cases.
• Exchange of experiences & prevention strategies with Organizations from donor countries (Norway and Iceland).
• Information on the legislation on juvenile delinquency in Greece and the means available for prevention and treatment.

At the end of the project, an educational programme on prevention in the field of combating youth violence among peers will be created for the training of teachers, parents and students by the professionals of "The Smile of the Child".

Aiming at a holistic approach and pluralism, the representation of stakeholders through the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Committee (representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office, juvenile probation officers, representatives of the police for the protection of minors, representatives of social services, as well as representatives of civil society organizations in the field of child protection) was considered important. The aim is to enrich the educational tool with multiple perspectives on issues concerning child protection with the child and its interest always at the center of the approach.