“MUTUAL EDUCATION:GIRAFFE LANGUAGE IN KINDERGARTENS AND SCHOOLS”

implemented through Institute of Psychology in Belgrade,supported by UNICEF in the period from 1995-1998

 Within this project, our activities were focused mostly on enabling teachers to apply NVC skills in their work, and engaging them as workshop leaders to teach children to adopt skills and values of nonviolence.Applying cascade model of training ( each lasting for 48 hours) we educated 28 NVC trainers, 1055 teachers to realize NVC program with children in 57 institutions located in 28 towns, and had app.30000 of children aged 5-16 involved in NVC programs. The effects of programs were very satisfying, showing that participants , both children and adults , learned more than communications skills,they made a shift in the attitude toward themselves and others. They learned how to express what they want and how to listen without blaming and criticizing each other; the number of incidents of violence between students, between students and teachers, as well as toward school property decreased The programs strengthened personal and aducative competence of teachers, reminding them how to use educative methods that are in tune with the values they want to develop in children
 During the bombing, the knowledge and skills acquired enabled many teachers to offer help and organize activities for children helping them to overcome stress reactions. So NVC skills proved to prevent emotional burnout both in teachers and children

3 manuals for teachers were published within the project

1. Ignjatovi Savi, N, Krstanovi M., Triki Z., Koruga D., i Jerkovi D.,WORDS ARE WINDOWS OR THEY ARE WALLS 1, Institute of Psychology, Belgrade, 1996
    The manual for teachers offering NVC programme of workshops for children 5-10 years old
2. Ignjatovi Savi, N.,Stojanovi J., Krstanovi M., Mihajlovi M., Koruga D., i Vranjeevi J., WORDS ARE WINDOWS OR THEY ARE WALLS 2, Institute of Psychology, Belgrade, 1996
    The manual for teachers offering NVC programme of workshops for children 11-14 years old
3. Ignjatovi Savi, N, Krstanovi M., Triki Z. WORDS ARE WINDOWS OR THEY ARE WALLS 3, Institute of Psychology, Belgrade, 1996
    The manual for teachers offering NVC programme of workshops for adolescents.

Lessons learned

• It was noticed that with a bigger number of professionals trained from one school, with the school principal participating in the training, and more continuos education of the same group ,the overall atmosphere in the school positively changed ensuring long term effects of the intervention ( more mutual support, higher motivation, more new ideas how to develop program and live in tune with NVC model)
• Parents showed significant interest and motivation to be involved in the NVC training, having observed changes in children’s behavior as a consequence of the NVC program. In some schools teachers or school psychologists gave introductory seminars on NVC at parents meetings, but parents expressed requests to learn more on how to apply NVC in education.

NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION PROGRAM IN SCHOOLS

sponsored by the European commision in the period from 1997-1999

The israeli Center for NVC and the Palestinian Center for Educational communication, Italian Center for NVC and Center for nonviolent communication Smile keepers in Belgrade took part in the project
 3 schools from Serbia participated in the project, one from Jagodina and two from Valjevo.Training started in October 1997 , with 40 teachers being trained in NVC from each school. Seminars have been held for parents from each of the schools attended by app. 100 parents from each schools. Several teachers who received training organized app. 14-16 workshops with children in classrooms, covering 180 children from Jagodina and 120 children in Valjevo.
 There was an overall improvement in the atmosphere in the schools participating in the project. In addition, the project stimulated a variety of creative activities
 Valjevo team initiated “Giraffe Theater club”, a drama performance of children that highlights Giraffe (nonviolent) and Snake ( violent) behavior in society, which gives wonderful opportunity for children performing and teachers and parents watching it - to laugh together and discuss what kind of change they would like to see in each other and in society.
 Jagodina team initiated a series of meetings with parents , organized on similar scenario: First part is role-play done by children demonstrating some of the typical conflicts in the family or in the school. After the play all of them together-children, parents and teachers are exploring alternative ways of expressing and resolving conflicts. “The sentence from the heart”, Giraffe classroom versus Snake classroom”,” Drug is a bitch” ,” Do we hear each other”, are some of the topics giving insights into habitual parental behavior and language and its impact on the development and behavior of their children. All these activities resulted in changing relations between pupils, parents and teachers toward achieving greater mutual understanding and listening to each others needs
 In July 1998, Nada Ignjatovic Savic ,together with Rita Herzog,a trainer from International Center for NVC in USA, ran an intensive training course for Israeli and Palestinian NVC trainers, enabling them to train others and to introduce NVC to children.
 In February 1999, the project coordinators from Israel and Palestine traveled to Yugoslavia and Italy in order to visit the schools involved in EC project. This was an excellent opportunity to share experiences and ideas relating to training, skill development, implementation problems and evaluation of the effects. One aspect of the project that became evident during the exchange visit is that despite the cultural differences of each of the project participants, the project teams and the school teams in each of the different countries were facing very similar experiences in implementing NVC. There was a strong element of universals in the existence of similar sort of violence in schools, despite the various backgrounds and specific regional and cultural issues.

EDUCATION FOR NONVIOLENCE: PARENTS, TEACHERS & CHILDREN WORKING TOGETHER

implemented through Institute of Psychology in Belgrade,supported by UNICEF in the period from March 2000 ( ongoing project)

An in depth training on how to integrate nonviolent communication in education was proposed using a whole school approach. Model schools in 6 towns were identified which will serve as methodic centers for coordination of various activities with teachers, parents, students, psychologist/pedagogues, principals and also local authorities, local media.
 6 schools are selected for this in-depth program according criteria such as expressed need, motivation of the staff, effectiveness of existing programs, involvement of parents and other criteria to maximize their potential for success. A development of model schools as sites of education for nonviolence was sought in order to enable replication of this project later into other schools , and other towns.

Exploring the ways of fostering mutually beneficial partnership between schools and the community in which they are situated we came to the idea to initiate and organize “Giraffe clubs” for parents, children and other interested participants from local community- so that they can practice NVC, and organize divers activities changing local climate in accord with NVC.

About 150 school professionals ( mostly teachers) , 600 parents and 4500 children were involved in the project till the end of 2000.

Till the end of 2000- there was 384 hours of training with teachers The conference “Dare to act nonviolently” held on the 2-3rd of February 2001, with 96 participants from the 7 schools involved in the project, presented the work done with parents and children.