International Conference | "Preventing and addressing bullying and violence among minors"

PRESS RELEASE

Athens, 4 December 2024

The European Antibullying Network and "The Smile of the Child" co-organize an International Conference | December 2024

"Preventing and addressing bullying and violence among minors"

The Conference was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports of Greece and the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth of Cyprus.

Watch the conference at the following link https://www.livemedia.com/smileofthechild2024

The European Antibullying Network and "The Smile of the Child", on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Network, co-organised an International Conference on "Preventing and addressing bullying and violence among minors". The Conference took place in the framework of the project PREVENT-Youth violence among peers: motives, causes & prevention techniques, which is funded by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants 2014-2021) through the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The International conference was held on Tuesday, 3 December at the Novotel Athens Hotel, in the center of Athens, with more than 100 participants from Greece and several other countries across Europe (Croatia, Cyprus, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK, a.o.), including teachers, educators, civil society actors, state authorities and other stakeholders. The Conference was opened by representatives of the Child Rights Group of the European Student Volunteer Network YouSmile of "The Smile of the Child", Elena Houndala and Natalia Charalampopoulou, who stressed that "Change starts with us, but we need your help too. Those who are here today have the power and the will to change a child's life".

Mr. Costas Yannopoulos, President of the Board of Directors of the European Antibullying Network and the Board of Directors of “Smile”, welcomed and thanked the attendees and participants of the conference and said "We are particularly happy, as the European Antibullying Network is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. This Conference comes to provide solutions through good practices from Europe and internationally, as in "Smile" we have learned that there are no perpetrators or victims but children, groups of children who are subjected to and act with violence. We must not only listen to the voices of children but also listen to their concerns, because children have a voice, knowledge, awareness, maturity, but above all purity. After all, this Organization was created by a 10-year-old boy, my son Andreas, who expressed his wish through his diary, and now, 29 years later, the forces in this country have come together, and I hope that what is heard here today will be taken into account by those responsible.”

Dr. Irene Psifidou, Senior Expert in European Vocational Education and Training Policies at the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training-Cedefop, stated: “It is a great honor to be here today. Eliminating school violence may seem like a dream, but dreams become reality when there is sustained and focused effort by all those who can bring about change." Ms. Ioanna Tzika, Director and National Focal Point for EEA Grants, General Secretariat for Public Investments & the NSRF, Ministry of Economy & Finance, spoke about the PREVENT project stating "We look forward, through the PREVENT project, and the opportunity provided by the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism, to create a future where all young people can thrive and succeed in building an environment free of fear and violence".

Common strategies to combat bullying and violence among minors.

Ms. Joanna Chardaloupa, Psychologist (MSc), Coordinator of the Center for Violence and Bullying of “Smile”, referred to the Center and its good practices in the field of violence and bullying, which aim at the interdisciplinary cooperation, pointed out the following:

• 1 in 3 children across the country, declare that they have been bullied.
• 1 in 4 children, feels that the school does not teach them not to bully their peers.
• 100% of children would prefer to call a hotline for help, choosing the agency's National Helpline for Children SOS 1056.
• 1 bullying counseling session every 2 days | 252 counseling sessions.
• Of the reported incidents related to bullying and delinquency among juveniles, the majority of them involve teenage children (13-18 years old) boys.
• There was a 47% increase in the number of students participating in prevention and intervention programmes related to bullying.
• We delivered prevention intervention programmes to 230 pupils each school day.
• Prevention intervention programs on bullying to 29.675 students and 1.583 teachers and 3.234 parents/guardians

Ms. Isabella Manetou, member of the Childr Rights Team, European Student Volunter Network YouSmile of "Smile " said "Don't label children. Children are not victims, criminals, gang members, perpetrators", and addressed peers, parents, teachers, the state and the press in an advisory capacity. Advice to children:

• Don't face it alone
• Do not be afraid to speak up
• When you take notice, you have the power to create positive change
• Think before you bully
• Put yourself in the other child's shoes
• Learn more about bullying and violence

Read all the suggestions here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ubl7VAvCNo02JEiAtAWU-L5QI54nONCo/view?usp=sharing

Good practices from the European Anti-Bullying Network and institutional and civil society actors

Ms. Piji Protopsaltis, Coordinator of the European Antibullying Network and of the Conference, referred to the 10 years of the European Antibullying Network, its actions over the years and noted "EAN was established in 2013, and until today it is an active network of organizations working in Europe to combat the phenomenon of bullying, cyberbullying and school violence. It brings together stakeholders working in prevention and intervention with the objectives of coordinating actions and initiatives, conducting campaigns, creating, promoting and exchanging good practices, as well as raising awareness and empowering the public about the holistic fight against bullying."

This was followed by a presentation of the SAFER project - Social skills and fundamental rights for the prevention of bullying by Ms Maria Rita Bracchini, Vice-President of the European Antibullying Network, and Mr. Fabrizio Boldrini, Director of the Villa Montesca Foundation, Italy, where they reported on the SAFER project, noting that in the framework of the SAFER pilot applications, 24 schools, 77 classes, 1.716 pupils, 201 teachers and 509 parents involved were informed.

This was followed by a presentation of good practices for the prevention and treatment of bullying in Italy by Professor Michele Riondino, Head of the Center for the Study of Children's Rights at Fondazione SOS - il Telefono Azzurro, Italy who focused on good practices implemented in Italy such as the 116000 Line, the Azzurro Academy, educational programmes for children and adolescents, the 114 Line, etc, as well as the new legislation in Italy, and said "The principle of all the services of Fondazione SOS - il Telefono Azzurro is the belief that every child has the right to be heard and it is worth doing something about it".

Ms. Nasia Stefanou, Officer and Teacher Trainer at the Cyprus Observatory on Violence in Schools (PA.VI.S.). ), Pedagogical Institute, Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, Cyprus,  touched upon the topic "Empowering schools to deal with and prevent violence" and referred to the 5 main pillars of the new National Campaign in Cyprus for the prevention and tackling of violence in schools and in a survey they conducted,  which revealed that 1 out of 5 students stated that they are bullied at least once a month.

A presentation of the United Against Bullying Programme was made by Ms. Miry Mayer, Project Manager "The United Against Bullying Programme", Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), UK, who referred to the programme they have developed to combat bullying, where through annual awards to schools that have participated in this effort, they also map the possibility of the overall adoption of the programme.

International experience in strategies to prevent bullying and violence among minors

Examples of prevention of youth violence in Iceland were given by Ms. Sigthrudur Gudmundsdottir, Project Manager, National Police Board of Iceland, while Ms. Ingunn Skjesol, Head of the Department of Health and Social Involvement and Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Sciences, NORD University, Norway spoke about Prevention of youth crime in Norway. They both emphasized that it is important to have cooperation between agencies and authorities as it is only through cooperation that the outcome can have the maximum benefits. Both speakers mentioned that in order to tackle violence among minors the triptych of Trust, Respect and Cooperation is necessary.

A presentation of the SSPF model - Prevention actions in Uppsala was given by Ms. Signe Nielsen, Youth Centre Coordinator of the Municipality of Uppsala, Sweden, while Ms. Louise Niska, School Social Worker, Youth Centre, Uppsala Municipality, Sweden, underlined that it is a common phenomenon that violence is now considered normal in children's everyday school life, while they both mentioned the DPC – Dialogue for Peaceful Change method, which they consider to have helped significantly in their own case management as it is a method designed to support individuals, groups, organizations etc. to overcome resistance to change a situation.  Mr. Blaž Lenarčič, Chief Researcher, Koper Science and Research Centre, Slovenia, spoke about "Establishing School Counselling Offices in Slovenian schools to combat violence and related challenges", mentioning a pilot project to combat violence among children that they implemented in two schools by establishing an information office, with three psychologists with 8 hours of availability in total, carrying out activities and workshops to children and parents alike, with great acceptance.

Looking ahead. What are the new challenges in the next decade?

Mr. Paul Downes, Professor of Educational Psychology, Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Institute of Education, Dublin City University, Ireland and Associate Professor at the Centre for Resilience & Psychosocial Health of the University of Malta, spoke on the topic of "Bullying and Aggression" and focused on the need to create space for children to grow as it is a key element in their happiness and thus in reducing aggressive behaviors. "Social Media: dangers for children and adolescents" was the topic of a presentation by Mr. Ferran Calvo Adalid, President, Baobab Association, a Spain, and he pointed out that incidents of cyberbullying have increased in Spain, even mentioning that according to the last count, there were 11.229 serious incidents.

Mr. Peter Smith, Honorary Member of the European Anti-Bullying Network, Visiting Professor at University of Greenwich, UK, and Shandong Normal University, China, spoke about "Peers and defense mechanisms" and said that the reasons that usually lead minors to violent behavior are, in order of severity, social inequalities, then the school environment, then the peers and finally the family.

"Facing youth violence in multicultural areas: challenges and ways to deal with it", was the topic discussed by Ms. Ariana Furtado, Educator and Coordinator Escola Básica do Castelo, Lisbon, Portugal, and she spoke about literature and its benefits, stating that "Literature is a very powerful force in our lives. It helps us to think, to question, to question. It helps us to feel our feelings, to discover new perspectives, different from our own." Dr. Sofia Leitão, Chief Project Development Manager, Rinova Málaga S.L. Spain, spoke about how investing in the education of professionals can lead to strengthening the resilience of young people to counter hate speech, analyzing all the projects developed and designed by Rinova's educational team.

At the end of the conference, the members of the Network celebrated with a symbolic blowing of the candles of a birthday, the 10 years of the European Antibullying Network, as Mr. Yannopoulos said, "Sometimes it is the small details that make the difference”.

Discussions then followed focusing on the future and the role of each stakeholder in tackling the phenomena in a new context, noting their final observations on the issue:

"Bullying is a damaging social process characterised by an imbalance of power driven by social (societal) and institutional norms" Peter Smith, Honorary Member of the European Anti-Bullying Network, Visiting Professor at University of Greenwich, UK, and Shandong Normal University, China

"It is important to continue the effort we have been making for so many years by being on the side of children and not against them" Costas Yannopoulos, President of the Board of the European Antibullying Network

"It is important to have a positive school climate and development of students' skills" Agapi Vavouraki, Primary School Director, "Ellinogermaniki Agogi Schools"

"Preventing bullying is not just about avoiding conflict, but about creating a fair and safe environment where all students feel accepted and respected." Chryssanthi Sotiriou, Deputy Director General of Education, "Doukas Schools"

"The implementation of EANCERT - the Anti-Bullying and Anti-Violence Management System in Organized Educational Structures for Minors - reduces associated risks of bullying, ensures full investigation of the incident and ensures effective management of the incident" Panagiotis Theofanopoulos, Executive Consultant, Eurocert

The aim of the International Conference was to highlight and present:

1. The difference and connection in the phenomena of bullying and violence among minors

2. The need for a multidisciplinary approach and management of the phenomena

3. The crucial role of prevention, focusing on the family, the school environment and society at large

4. The current situation in Europe and internationally

5.  Exchange of good practices from Europe and internationally

6. Evolution in the nature of phenomena and new challenges for their prevention and management

One day earlier, on Monday, 2 December, at the Panhellenic Coordinating Operational Centre for Direct Social & Medical Intervention "Andreas Yannopoulos" in Aghia Paraskevi, there were meetings of the European Antibullying Network, the meeting of the outgoing Board of Directors and the General Assembly of the Network with the participation of its members, both in person and remotely, where, among other things, the new Board of Directors of the Network was elected. (The 20 members of the Network represent 13 European countries - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, North Macedonia, Spain, and the United Kingdom).

More information about the European Antibullying Network - EAN: https://www.antibullying.eu

"The Smile of the Child" cordially thanks the Novotel Athens Hotel https://www.novotelathens.gr/ for the warm hospitality for all the well-coordinated services and the excellent cooperation in the organization of the Conference.

We thank all those who contributed to the realization of this conference, the supporters etc. of the event for their valuable help and their undivided trust once again:

• AIIC - International Association of Conference Interpreters, Greece & Cyprus Region of the International Association of Conference Interpreters https://greece-cyprus.aiic.org
• Conference Hellas https://conferencehellas.gr/
• Diastasis S.A. https://www.diastasis.gr/.
• Eventora https://www.eventora.com/el/
• Live Media https://about.livemedia.gr/

Photo material from the conference: https://hamogelo-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/nikosyannopoulos_hamogelo_gr/Eu-AGCOOpVZFhJ8lKb1FldQB1f_QPjQUvyWs29IwNmV8FQ?e=eTiVvN