Despite the efforts of the school community to reduce violence, conflict, aggression and other psychosocial difficulties, an increased number of such cases continues to be recorded. Both pupils and teachers express distrust in the relations between them, and often the ways used to manage and resolve emerging conflicts is not auxiliary for all those involved. The mediation of coevals, i.e. the education of same-age pupils to manage in-school conflicts through the process of mediation, is a method applied systematically in schools abroad with impressive results. In Greece, the efforts to manage conflict through dialog, empathy and equal involvement of conflicting sides is yet fragmentary whereas from a bibliographic and empirical point of view a comprehensive proposal for the school mediation is lacking.
ANTIGONE, with the support of the Heinrich Boell Foundation Greece organizes systematically by 2013, within the framework of the Schools for Change program, educational workshops in primary and secondary schools in matters of human rights and respect for diversity. The workshops are aimed at strengthening of pupils and teachers. The experience of the organization, in conjunction with the increasing needs expressed by the teachers to deal with aggression among schoolchildren, led to the preparation of this guide as a tool for the prevention and peaceful management of conflicts, when they arise.
The guide drew up Eirini Gregoriadou and Athanasia Telliou, consists of a theoretical section with reference to the objectives, the process of mediation and the parties involved, as well as a practical section, which includes suggestions for workshops and worksheets, which could be used by the pupils for the implementation of the proposed activities.
The publication is available only in Greek here.