What happens to unresolved conflicts?

Even when there are walls or a fence separating our living spaces, living side by side can still bring conflict. Sounds, smells, overhanging branches, uncertain property boundaries, parking in front of gates, pets, children, perhaps different agendas and values can all be sources of conflict. However, it need not necessarily end in arguments and long litigation, as this is not what will produce acceptable, shared solutions.

If we've tried to gently signal to our neighbour what is bothering us and the message hasn't got through, tensions can mount. Slowly, we start to feel annoyed by the sight of our neighbour, we hide around our own home, perhaps making comments to see if we understand. We think about going to court, and then we push back because of the high costs. Or, in our final desperation, we join the conflict. However, experience shows that the decisions at the end of court proceedings cannot deal with how it will feel to look each other in the eye when we meet again day after day. Even if we are proved right we are not met with a good taste in our mouths, and if the relationship is not resolved, the conflict can flare up again and again.

How does mediation help?

• On the one hand, it is faster and cheaper than going to court. On the other hand, the parties themselves can work out a solution that works for them, because we create a new kind of communication where real interests and needs come first, instead of emotions. And if we can listen to each other, we are more likely to work out joint and lasting solutions, which are more likely to be respected than measures imposed from outside.
• There is no further conflict between the parties generated by win-win positions, as we are striving for solutions that are acceptable to all.
• The parties have the opportunity to recognise that they are interdependent in resolving the situation and can start to move from being enemies to partners.
• Through the communication techniques used in mediation, problem-solving behaviour becomes dominant. This makes it possible to resolve situations that previously seemed intractable.

What is the mediation process?

1. If one of the parties contacts us by phone or email, they can briefly explain the conflict and we will inform them about the mediation process and framework. As volunteering is an important principle of mediation, we ask the person we have already spoken to to give our telephone number to the other party and ask them to call us.
2. Once all the key players in the conflict have been consulted, we will jointly arrange a meeting.
3. A mediation process can take several sessions, as change requires time and support. The mediator is bound by confidentiality, i.e. he or she cannot disclose information to third parties.
4. If an agreement is reached during the process, it is put in writing - this can help the parties to be clear about what they have agreed and, if necessary, to agree further on how exactly to implement it.

What can I do if I want to come for mediation but my neighbour doesn't want to hear about it?

Even if the other party is not open to dialogue, you can do a lot to prevent communication between you from deteriorating. Conflict consultationWe will help you find your own resources and communication strategies tailored to your situation. Our methodological tools are based on constructive communication. After the consultation, you can return to your everyday environment with a change plan and, if you wish, we will guide you through the change process, so you can consult our mediator colleague several times.
As a result of the consultation, you will

• You can see your own room for manoeuvre in a given case, so you can handle the situation more consciously
• Learn to recognise the current phases of a conflict and adapt your solutions accordingly
• You can reduce your stress because you can see more aspects from the outside
• Gain skills and practice in constructive communication tools, increasing your personal effectiveness by providing you with tools that can be adapted to other situations
• You're not alone as you look for solutions, and with expert support you can make changes more consistently in important situations.

What are the benefits of economic mediation?

• FasterA mediation process, like litigation, can be conducted at a time that suits the parties' schedules.
• Cheaperthan litigation, there are no fees and, thanks to the faster process, the fees for the expert (mediator) involved are lower on a time basis than for a legal expert.
•  If mediation fails, the parties still have the option of going to court.
• In mediation, the parties themselves can work out solutions that are acceptable to them, such as a higher rate of compliance with the agreementas if a third party were dictating how they should act.
• In contrast to the court route, mediation involves human factormediation can take into account not only economic and financial issues, but also the need to maintain a good working relationship or to end the relationship fairly - mediation can also be a humane way of dealing with redundancies and redundancies. This is the story of a Hungarian HR professional from an international transport company who was so attracted to the method that she took part in mediator training at the Partners Hungary Foundation.

"It's very stressful, emotionally, when we have to let go of staff. It's a very out-of-control experience for the employee, and we started to counteract that through mediation, where both sides could talk about how they were experiencing the situation and how to make it easier: financially and humanly. The workers were surprised to learn that this was a difficult situation for us too, and we offered flexibility on the terms of the exit. This way, we can end a difficult phase with dignity and less tension, and when we meet on the street, we don't have to be upset."

In which cases should you use economic mediation?

• If there is any dispute about the division and performance of tasks
• In the event of structural changes or reorganisations within the company, where friction is likely to occur
• In case of derogations from the contract
• In case of damages and compensation
• Personal or professional conflicts between colleagues or groups
• In the event of redundancies, for a fair closure
• If you need a faster, more efficient and cheaper solution than litigation

How does economic mediation work?

1. Mediation can start if all parties concerned want it to. If one of the parties approaches one of our mediators, we will listen to the situation in which they are seeking our help and provide information about the process. However, volunteering is an important condition for participating in mediation, so we ask that other parties involved contact us by email or phone. This way, we can ensure a balance of power from the beginning of the process: everyone has the opportunity to talk briefly about the conflict and we explain to everyone how the mediation process works, clarify the signing rights and the mediation fee.
2. Once an appointment has been made, we will start the process together or separately, depending on the information we have in advance. A mediation session lasts 3 hours and the mediation process itself may take several sessions, as it is important that the parties can discuss all the details of the conflict situation. The aim is that, even if we start the meeting separately, all parties involved should talk at the same table as soon as possible so that they can find real joint solutions. Even if all is not lost, if we can only negotiate separately with the parties until the end of the process, we facilitate communication through so-called "walking mediation". We look for the needs and interests behind the complaints and shortcomings that arise during mediation sessions, and use the tools of constructive communication to help the parties to focus on the future, whether it is about continuing the work together or ending the working relationship, rather than blaming and rehashing past grievances.
3. If an agreement is reached during the process, it will be recorded in writing.
4. Some time after the process is completed, the mediator will call the parties to ask if further help is needed.  

Experience has shown that 85% of mediation agreements are respected by the parties. The benefits of economic and workplace mediation are 24.hu and. Portfolio.hu has also written. 

What difficulties can arise during a divorce?

• In Hungary about 18,000 marriages break up every year. The high number of divorces does not necessarily mean that there are more unhappy marriages today than in the past, but simply that it has become more socially acceptable for spouses to admit that they want to continue living separately. However, divorce is still preceded and accompanied by a lot of anxiety, fear, questions and doubts, especially if there are children involved.
• Although divorce is basically the end of a relationship between two adults, the former spouses remain in contact because of the contact with the children.
• However, if the framework is not well set up, further conflicts can arise after the divorce, further poisoning the lives of the former spouses and children.

How does mediation work in divorce cases?

1. The person concerned calls the mediator on the phone and can briefly explain the situation they are asking for help with. The mediator asks questions to explore the communication and relationship between the parties and gives detailed information about the mediation process.
2. When all parties involved have spoken to the mediator on the phone, we will arrange a mutually convenient time to meet in person.
3. At the end of the first session, we will discuss how to proceed. A mediation session lasts 2.5-3 hours and a full mediation process consists of 1-5 sessions. Although partial agreements can be reached in the first session, experience shows that it takes more time to develop a new kind of cooperation, and it is good to have a safe communication medium and a trained professional where this can happen under the right conditions. Any change can only be integrated into our lives with the right support.
4. If an agreement is reached at the end of the process, it will be put in writing.
5. Once the mediation process is over, the mediators will contact the parties a few weeks after the process has ended to see if they still need further support.

The role of the mediator in the divorce process

In family conflicts, the parties are deeply involved and often delay divorce because they cannot leave the relationship without loss. Relationship conflicts also involve a specific male-female dynamic, which is strongly influenced by the different roles and conflict management patterns of the parties. The mediator keeps the parties' emotional expressions in check and helps them to articulate their needs and wants. If the parties understand each other's motivations and intentions, emotions can be reduced and feelings of helplessness can be eliminated.
The focus of mediation is not on past events and why they happened, but on the future needs and wants of the parties, which can be used to develop a new way of working in the relationship. Through guided discussions, the parties can work around a relatively tangible, concrete problem and reach an agreement. Unlike court proceedings, there are no losers because mediators lead the discussion in a way that leads to solutions that are acceptable to all.

Divorce mediation opinions

"It may sound strange, but during our marriage we couldn't talk to each other like we could in mediation. A fitting end to an important period in our lives. If I could choose again, I would have asked for help first, maybe we wouldn't have got divorced."

Károly, 47 years old

What is relationship mediation?

There are difficult times in every relationship. Sometimes the clouds pass and the sun comes out, but there are situations that come back again and again, and it's hard to deal with them, it can feel like we're going round in the same circles over and over again. Mediation, constructive communication toolkithelps the parties to talk about what each needs to improve the relationship and what each can do to do so, instead of "who has done what wrong again". Attention, acceptance, quality time and forward-looking cooperation, joint plans and joint construction.

The process of relationship mediation

1. The people concerned call the mediator individually by phone, where they can briefly explain the situation they are asking for help with. The mediator will ask questions to explore the communication and relationship between the parties and give detailed information about the mediation process.
2. When both parties have spoken to the mediator on the phone, we will arrange a mutually convenient time for you to meet in person.
3. At the end of the first session, we will discuss how to proceed. A mediation session lasts 2.5-3 hours and a full mediation process consists of 1-6 sessions. Although partial agreements are already reached in the first session, experience shows that it takes more time to develop a new kind of cooperation, and it is good to have a safe communication medium and a trained professional where this can happen under the right conditions. Any change can only be integrated into our lives with the right support.
4. If an agreement is reached, we will put it in writing.
5. Once the mediation process is over, the mediators will contact the parties a few weeks after the process has ended to see if they still need further support.

Since every mediation process is different, as every person and every relationship is different, we cannot predict how many sessions will be needed to achieve the desired change. One thing is for sure: if the participants are really motivated, there is a very high chance of finding mutually beneficial solutions.

Couples therapy or mediation?

• During the couples therapy process, the therapist aims to shed light on the past drivers of the participants' feelings and behaviours, based on the family patterns established by parents and grandparents, and then uses this information to help the parties to establish new foundations for cooperation in everyday life.
• In mediation, the role of the mediator is to build on the current needs and wants of the participants to create a mutually acceptable cooperation in everyday life, especially by rethinking communication patterns.
• While mediation can have therapeutic effects and emotional catharsis can be part of the process, the primary purpose of mediation is to the parties are able to articulate their own needs and wants and to listen to the needs of the other party, so that solutions based on mutual understanding can be found. We provide our clients with communication tools that, when applied to their own situations, can break the cycle of unproductive disputes.

How is relationship mediation different from relationship counselling?

In the process of mediation, the mediator does not give advice, does not take sides, does not take sides with either client, but takes sides with both: helping clients to articulate their needs and to listen to the other party's interests and needs, and to develop their own solutions based on them, as everyone is the best expert in their own life - if given the right tools.

What can I do if I want to come to mediation but my partner doesn't want to hear about it?

Even if the other party is not open to dialogue, you can do a lot to prevent communication between you from deteriorating. Conflict consultationWe will help you find your own resources and communication strategies tailored to the situation. Our methodological tools are based on constructive communication. After the conflict consultation, you can return to your everyday environment with a change plan and, if you wish, we will guide you through the change process, so you can consult our mediator colleague several times.

As a result of the consultation, you:

• You can see your own room for manoeuvre in a given case, so you can handle the situation more consciously
• Learn to recognise the current phases of a conflict and adapt your solutions accordingly
• You can reduce your stress because you can see more aspects from the outside
• Gain skills and practice in constructive communication tools, increasing your personal effectiveness by providing you with tools that can be adapted to other situations
• You're not alone as you look for solutions, and with expert support you can make changes more consistently in important situations.

The meaning of family mediation

In family mediation, we help participants to say what they want, what they need and to listen to the other participants' views, needs, feelings and interests. Whether they are family members living together or not, in mediation, a neutral and impartial professional helps the parties to discuss all issues in a way that they have not been able to do before. Family mediation is an emotional process, which is natural, but we don't shy away from emotions, we use them to the benefit of the process: we look for needs behind the complaints, and instead of unravelling past mistakes, we look at what each of us can do in the present to make relationships work better in the future.

The stages of the family mediation process

Family mediation is a process. A single session is not a miracle, but often it is enough to get family members to sit down and talk about their problems. We can also change our old communication patterns if we are given the tools to do so in a supportive environment. In other words, we also talk about how to talk to each other.

1. The person concerned calls the mediator on the phone and can briefly explain the situation they are asking for help with. The mediator asks questions to explore the communication and relationship between the parties and gives detailed information about the mediation process: how long it will take, how much it will cost, who should be present, etc.
2. When all parties involved have spoken to the mediator on the phone, we will arrange a mutually convenient time to meet in person.
3. At the end of the first session, we will discuss how to proceed. A mediation session lasts 2.5-3 hours, and a full mediation process consists of 1-5 sessions. Although partial agreements can be reached in the first session, experience shows that it takes more time to develop a new kind of cooperation, and it is good to have a safe communication medium and a trained professional where this can happen under the right conditions. Any change can only be integrated into our lives with the right support.
4. If an agreement is reached, we will put it in writing. This is not a legal document, it is a reference point for the family members involved to refer back to if things get stuck.
5. Once the mediation process is over, the mediators will contact the parties a few weeks after the process has ended to see if they still need further support.

Since every mediation process is different, because every person and every relationship is different, we cannot predict how many sessions will be needed to achieve the desired change. One thing is for sure: if the participants are really motivated, there is a very high chance of finding mutually beneficial solutions. Whether it's parent-child, parent-parent or sibling disputes, it's worth taking the time and energy to talk about our family relationships - with each other, for support.

What can I do if I want to come to mediation but family members don't want to hear about it?

Even if the other party is not open to dialogue, you can do a lot to prevent communication between you from deteriorating. Conflict consultationWe will help you find your own resources and communication strategies tailored to the situation. Our methodological tools are based on constructive communication. After the conflict consultation, you can return to your everyday environment with a change plan and, if you wish, we will guide you through the change process, so you can consult our mediator colleague several times.
As a result of the consultation, you will

• You can see your own room for manoeuvre in a given case, so you can handle the situation more consciously
• Learn to recognise the current phases of a conflict and adapt your solutions accordingly
• You can reduce your stress because you can see more aspects from the outside
• Gain skills and practice in constructive communication tools, increasing your personal effectiveness by providing you with tools that can be adapted to other situations
• You're not alone as you look for solutions, and with expert support you can make changes more consistently in important situations.

Are you unsure whether family mediation is the best solution to your problems? Want to know more about how it can help you resolve family conflicts? Contact us!

Éva DEÁK

Krisztina KUKITY

János Jenő WÁGNER

BACSÓ Flóra

What does the facilitator do?

• The facilitator is a process manager, who facilitates the effectiveness of the group discussion. It may be chosen from within the group or be an external expert.
• Characteristics of its activities, is responsible for the effectiveness of the discussion of the topic(s) identified by the parties or the group. He/she is well versed in group decision-making techniques and can use his/her methodological knowledge to make suggestions to the group leader beforehand or to the group during the process on how to proceed with the discussion of a particular issue. At the end of the meeting, he/she summarises the results and the tasks that have been identified. Agree on who is responsible for writing the memo.

For which organisational or group situations do we recommend facilitation?

• Prolonged discussions
• Bumpy, groaning negotiations
• Heated debates
• Stubborn positions, disagreements that hinder joint work
• Lack of tangible results, disinterested discussions
• Difficult to reach agreement on a complex issue

What changes can you expect if you work with a facilitator?

• Time efficient operation
• The meeting is on track
• We manage to keep to the timeframes
• Participants will be involved and motivated to work together
• Group productivity increases
• Delivering tangible results
• Group decision-making becomes easier, simpler
• The meeting is held in a supportive atmosphere

Those who have used our service have said:

"Without facilitation there is no progress, either we get lost in the details or communication between actors becomes focused on advocacy. I asked Partners to work with me because of my personal experience and expertise. It is also good that they know the field in which the stakeholders work. So to do the work we need an external actor to keep us on track, to highlight, summarise, prevent or resolve conflicts, to help us 'keep on target' and 'stay on task'. In our case the facilitator made our meetings effective, I can only recommend him.

If it's important to you as a leader to make your meetings more effective and efficient, ask our trained facilitators to help you!

What conflicts can we encounter in the kindergarten?

• Behavioural and adjustment problems in children;
• parents who are difficult to find common ground with;
• colleagues with whom we talk past each other and can't work in harmony.

Why is it important to deal with conflicts consciously in kindergarten?

• Children learn most effectively when the adults around them take into account their needs and desires, respect their need for autonomy, encourage them to be autonomous and develop their empathy and self-confidence.
• Adults can support children to manage conflict well if they themselves are aware of their conflicts. However, in everyday life, we are often afraid of conflict and without conscious strategies we may tend to avoid it, deny it exists ("it's OK") or make quick compromises. Our socialisation and training have not taught us how to formulate and express our feelings and needs, which are key to building and maintaining good relationships.

What can I do as a parent if a conflict arises at my child's nursery?

If we feel we are not coping in a conflict situation involving our child, we should always you should first clarify the situation with the people concerned, and even if we are not in conflict with the kindergarten teacher, it is important to involve her, as she takes care of the children on a daily basis and can have crucial information and insights about the situation. It is worth emphasising that as parents we want to be able to work together to make the children's daily lives easier, as it is easier to work with them when adults work together as partners. It's worth talk about our own feelings, rather than qualifying the other party, it is not worth taking up the gauntlet, even if you feel that you are communicating offensively. . If we feel we are being outgrown, it is worth bringing in an external helper, whether it's the preschool social worker, the preschool psychologist, the head of the institution, or even conflict resolution specialists.

What can I do as a kindergarten teacher?

• If we see everyday conflicts not as a necessary evil, but as a natural phenomenon, we see the situation from a more positive perspective. If we are aware of this and aim to manage them rather than eliminate them, we have a realistic goal. Surprising as it may seem, conflict is an opportunity to rethink existing frameworks, to strengthen relationships, and the teacher may even find joy in the process of conflict resolution, where a secure structure provides a framework and the participants - even the children - can work their way to a solution. In a joint conflict resolution process, we gradually become able to express our feelings, interests and needs, if we are open to each other. This can be very rewarding for all involved.
• Appropriate methods and supportive environment helps conflict participants to experience that clashing different perspectives in the right circumstances can lead to better solutions and stronger communities. It's very inspiring to see children come up with creative and innovative solutions to their conflicts, and it's important to we recognise the work they put into their efforts. In our achievement-oriented world, we can help each other to reward not only the results achieved, but also the work, efforts, efforts, strategies, perseverance invested in ourselves and in each other, thus gaining the ammunition to face difficult situations that seem hopeless.

Our training for kindergarten and primary school teachers, Conflict Resolution in Early Childhood, covers the approach and tools of mediation with young children as an alternative conflict resolution method. It also covers practical tools for working effectively with parents and colleagues. Our training is 30 hours long and accredited by the Teacher Training Scheme, for a detailed description click HERE.

Why are there more and more conflicts in schools?

In fact, we may not have more, we just talk about it more - but we need to talk about it. Conflict is inherent in human interaction. Therefore, the way we manage these conflicts is key. Unmanaged conflicts can lead to aggression. School aggression and bullying have been shown to have a detrimental impact on young people's physical, mental and social well-being, to play a role in early school leaving and even to contribute to delinquency.

Why don't the old methods, the admonition, the punishment, work?

Difficult social situations can be learning opportunities. Learning can take place in a safe and positive environment. Punishment isolates and destroys relationships, and promises made out of fear only work for a while. Taking a cooperative-restorative approach rather than a punitive-disciplinary approach strengthens relationships within the community and prevents conflicts from escalating into aggression. Developing social-emotional skills and managing and preventing aggression is essential in schools, and there are appropriate and modern methods - which, fortunately, can be learned.

As a parent or teacher, what can I do if I get stuck with conflicts at school?

First of all, don't be alone with the problem, look for allies: another parent, a fellow teacher, someone who also takes the problem seriously and is open to finding solutions together. It is worth bringing in an external professional who can help to ensure that all parties' views are heard and that they can work together to find a solution. It may be worthwhile to first consult a school psychologist or a pre-school social worker, or a teacher with good communication skills who is not involved in the case. And if you are stuck, contact us!

Why should you involve specialist help in managing conflicts at school?

Partners Hungary Foundation has been working on school conflicts since 2009. Using mediation, facilitated discussion and restorative practices, we have successfully managed a number of school conflicts. Over the years, we have trained more than 250 educational professionals (teachers, principals, school psychologists, social workers) and students as mediators. In addition, the organisation's trainers, as practitioners, are involved as mediators and restorative facilitators in the peaceful resolution of conflicts in schools.

Methods to work successfully in school conflicts:

• Mediation
• Facilitated discussions in parent and staff meetings
• Class teacher lessons on conflict and aggression management, bullying
• Restorative practices
• Parents in school sessions
• Teacher training and workshops

Contact us with confidence and we will tailor the conflict management process to your situation!

What can I do if I am in conflict with a colleague or manager?

• The first thing to do is to look at workplace conflict as an opportunity for development and learning - it's easier to start resolving it straight away. It's important to try to talk it through with the people involved first, in a calm atmosphere, when you have enough time and are not disturbed.
• Try to make an appointment with the people concerned, and not just ask for a few minutes. Under time pressure, we can become more tense and not everyone will have the opportunity to express their point of view. Reassure the other party that you want a common solution that is acceptable to everyone.
• It's worth asking the other person open questions, and it helps if you summarise what you've heard from time to time to show them that you've listened. Summaries also help us to hear not only what differs from our own point of view, but the other person's whole story.
• Instead of judging the other participants, let's talk about how what is happening affects us. This will avoid the other participants experiencing the conversation as an attack, and we will find that if we dare to talk about our feelings and thoughts, the other party will open up more easily.

What can we do if we can't manage?

Workplace communities often speak a professional language, but a common language is also important for cooperation. Even if we disagree in a debate, it is important that we are able to accommodate each other's points of view and communicate our interests and needs clearly. When we are involved in a conflict, it is not easy to do this. Our experienced conflict management specialists can help you to ensure that conflicts between colleagues or departments are discussed effectively and resolved together. Read more about our methods, workplace mediation, restorative practices and facilitated meetings!

If you feel you need the help of an external professional, contact us! With 25 years of experience, we are at your disposal to help you find the best conflict management method for your situation!

How should we look at our conflicts?

• Conflict is therefore not "of the devil", but a natural part of life, and a vehicle for problem-solving, if the conflict parties have the right tools at their disposal. Conflict can also be a means of peaceful change - and thus a key to stability.
• Conflicts are a way of expressing different opinions and interests in a more focused way, which encourages people to express their interdependence and to seek forward-looking solutions, despite the conflict.
  Therefore, conflicts can be the basis for a higher order of balance, resilient, trusting relationships, if managed properly.
• In order to approach conflict constructively, we need to accept it as a difference between behaviours, attitudes, feelings, needs, goals or values that we regularly encounter in our daily lives.

What conflict management techniques exist?

Most conflicts arise between people in contact with each other, around competition and cooperation. Conflicts most often arise because the parties to the conflict are competing with each other, even when cooperation would be beneficial to all. They are unable to take steps towards cooperation, nor do they accept the initiative to cooperate, because they do not recognise that they are interdependent in a common situation and can only achieve their own goals through effective cooperation. In our training courses we impart theoretical and practical conflict management skills. And when clients come to us with their own conflicts, we apply techniques that are appropriate to the situation. Here are some of them to try when you are in conflict with someone.

• Retrieved from open questionsto ask the other person, even if we think we know what the other person will say. It's worth putting aside our prejudices and bad experiences to put the conversation on a new footing.
• It's worth stopping in the conversation from time to time and Summary fromwhere we are now. This is useful because it gives us a chance to look at the situation and see if we have understood the other person, who can clarify what we have said if necessary.
• It is good to discuss in advance what kind of TopicsWe want to find solutions in a transparent and predictable way, because predictability and transparency build trust.
• Instead of strengthening our own position, we should seek common solutions, share important information and recognise that we are interdependent in the solution.
• The very fact that certain rulesat and framesset up at the beginning of a conflict management process, it helps to be able to talk in a different tone. The rules we apply include speaking respectfully to each other, not qualifying each other, listening to each other and keeping the conversation confidential. We also we agree in advance how much time we will spend talking, because the more predictable and clear the framework is, the easier it is to talk constructively about difficult situations.

What is needed for successful conflict resolution?

There is no script or recipe for dealing with our conflicts. Different types of conflict can often be dealt with in different ways, and there may be other, deeper causes behind a conflict, so it is worth exploring these too. What is certain, however, is that if we take a conscious approach to our conflicts, i.e:

• if we are aware of the causes of the conflict
• what stage of the conflict we are at,
• and what strategies, communication tools and experts are available to us,

we will be more likely to be able to work out solutions that are acceptable to all. Competition, accommodation, compromise, consensus building and even temporary avoidance of conflict can all be valid strategies if we are aware of the above components of the conflict process.

How can an external conflict management specialist help?

At Partners Hungary Foundation, we support people who come to us to give them the tools to manage their conflicts.

• We provide conflict management training for individuals and groups
• We train conflict management professionals
• We also help to resolve conflicts between individuals and groups!

Contact us by phone or email to find the conflict management methods that suit your situation!

What happens in a conflict management training session?

Through experiential learning, participants will gain first-hand experience of the methods of mediation, restorative practices and facilitated discussion, as well as an understanding of their own areas for improvement and strengths. We work with real, real-life conflict situations, testing the theory through situational exercises.

If you want to improve your conflict management tools, come and join us for our conflict management training, tailored to your team according to your needs. And if you want to become a conflict management professional, we recommend our mediator training.

What do I get from conflict management training?

• Training of a length and content adapted to the needs and capabilities of the team, whether it is half a day, one day or more.
• Up-to-date theory, with practical examples, followed by exercises where you can try out what you have learned.
• Practice-oriented training that makes everyday social situations more effective and human relations easier, with solutions that can be adapted to everyday situations.
• Negotiation and conflict management tools for daily practice
• Effective ways to reduce the emotional tension associated with conflict.

Opinions on the conflict management trainings of the Partners Hungary Foundation:

"The training gave me professional security. If you are looking for professional development, awareness, collaboration, this is a good opportunity."
by Rita Galambos (DIA)

"It has contributed to a positive change in my outlook. I warmly recommend it to everyone!"
Attila Polgár (Executive Office)

What I have learned, I "use" every day to manage my own conflicts and to support the conflicts of others. First and foremost, I learned awareness: To recognise my own "entrenchment" in my positions; to aim to create some new "platform" with the other party through identifying common interests; to not seek to maintain or let go of my own position; to accept my own and the other party's feelings and emotions and not work against them; to not pass judgement because I am not the champion of truth; to not resolve the conflict but to put cooperation on a new footing.
Gergely Zajkás
(Talent Acquisition Lead Talent Management / Acquisition, L&D MLEMEA, DHL Supply Chain)

In May 2020, with the support of the Partners Hungary Foundation's REYN (Roma Early Years Network) programme, we will be able to provide immediate laptop support to 7 families to enable them to participate in digital education.

All families with at least one child involved in digital education and who meet one of the following conditions are eligible to apply.

1. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren and have no means.
2. Single parents with no assets.
3. Large families with no assets.

Applications must include the following (no format requirements, handwritten applications are also accepted):

1. Name, address and telephone number of the children and the parent/guardian.

2. A statement of disadvantage (in a few sentences).

3. The child applying for support should describe in a few sentences what tasks they could do more easily or what they could improve with the help of a computer.

Address for sending applications:

Elizabeth Nagy: nagye@partnershungary.hu

The application deadline for the Sponsorship Programme is:

29 May 2020.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Evaluation of the application:

Applications will be assessed by the Foundation's REYN programme staff.

Announcement of the results of the competition:

2 June 2020.

Phone number: 06706232154

E-mail address: nagye@partnershungary.hu

Partners Hungary Foundation

Budapest, 24 April 2020.

The Partners Network is a leading international NGO network in the field of conflict and change management accompanying peaceful democratic transitions, and in the development of effective partnerships. Currently with 19 members on 4 continents and 30 years of experience, it is working with the Peace Nexus Foundation to renew its own forms of cooperation.

For this work seek the help of an experienced adviser, development professional. The working language of the task is English and a detailed description is given in the attached call.

TORs Partners Network consultant

If you think the job is for you, apply! Application deadline: 15 June 2020.

Rosa Parks Foundation, Motivation Workshop, Partners Hungary, April 2020

Teachers of predominantly disadvantaged children say a third of their pupils have failed to engage with digital education, according to a recent survey. The results suggest that the gap in the school-to-work gap is set to widen further, based on children's social status. There are large regional differences: while in Budapest, teachers who filled in the questionnaire estimate that four-fifths of pupils are participating in digital education, the figure is only 65% in large municipalities. In a situation like this, respondents do what they can: they provide a high proportion of telephone assistance, sending photocopies to students when needed. According to the responses, teachers rely most on each other and least on the maintainer. Nearly half of them said they had not received the help they needed to make the changeover.

About the research

The Rosa Parks Foundation, the Motivation Association and Partners Hungary, three organisations working to improve the educational situation of disadvantaged children, asked teachers to fill in an online survey. Of the 425 teachers who responded, two thirds teach in primary schools, the vast majority (83%) work in state schools, 10% in church schools and 7% in foundation schools. A third of them were teachers in municipal schools in all parts of the country. 44% of them estimated the proportion of Roma pupils in the classes they taught at more than 60%, so nearly half of the respondents work in segregated or segregated schools.

Key findings of the research:

• The data shows that the higher the proportion of students with fewer opportunities, the lower the proportion of students participating in digital education: while an average of 84% of students in schools with well-socialised children participate online, one third of children in segregated institutions drop out of digital education. While in Budapest, the teachers surveyed estimated that between four and five fifths of students participate in digital education, this proportion is only 65% in the larger municipalities.
• As for the reasons for dropping out, most people a lack or scarcity of adequate infrastructure, computer, internet connection. One in five teachers cited existential reasons (children also need to be involved in earning a living, household chores, looking after younger children).
• The responses show that teachers are doing what they can: there is a high proportion of telephone help and photocopies are sent to students when needed. In small villages, 70% of respondents said that paper-based delivery of learning materials was "typical" or "somewhat typical".
• The majority of teachers who teach a higher proportion of Roma/disadvantaged children say that the new curriculum new approaches also wishes to: more than half of them did not agree at all with the statement that "they should assess students' performance with the same expectations as before", 70% did not agree at all or hardly at all with the statement that "they should follow a timetable and give students the right amount of learning".
• When asked who they have received and receive specific help from for digital teaching, respondents cited teacher colleagues as the most important (68%) and the provider as the least important (24%).

Nearly half of them (48%) said they had not received the help they needed to make the switch.

"The first indications of transition problems arrived at our Invisible School soon after the introduction of the digital curriculum. We are therefore currently assessing the situation nationwide with a questionnaire sent to the schools and one to be sent to Roma communities soon." - said Adél Kegye, Director of the Rosa Parks Foundation.

The full research is available here:

Segregation and digital education in the age of the coronavirus

It was about us

• from RTL Newsban
• a 444.hu-n
• and the Indexen is

For more information, please contact Ágnes Kende, Research Manager agnes.kende@gmail.com, or Gábor Bernáth, Communications Officer at bernath_g@yahoo.com-or call 70-451-8649.

In the situation created by the Crown virus, we have also made decisions that affect our day-to-day operations and our partners. We have decided to prevent the spread of the virus by suspend all activities that involve face-to-face meetings. It affects the our programmes, our training courses and other our services is. Where possible, we move our activities to the on the web. Our staff will contact you by e-mail or telephone.

The suspension at the moment Until 15 May 2020 plan and adjust them as necessary to reflect changes in events.

Dear Our partners!
We also ask you, until the emergency is over, to refrain from personal encounters. We believe that the cooperation that underpins our work now requires that, by avoiding a face-to-face meeting take care of ourselves and each other.

We trust that you will find the good in the bad, and new forms of cooperation and connection.

We wish you all stamina and good health!

Best regards:

The Partners Hungary Foundation team

The aim of the teachers and staff who choose the programme is to empower children, their learning and the classroom community by finding the value in each child.

Their aim is to help create an honest and accepting atmosphere in kindergartens and schools, to provide an organisational framework and conditions, and to create a pedagogical system that prepares children to

• become active, creative members of a democratic society, recognising and appreciating its values;
• to make decisions and exercise personal responsibility as learners throughout their school lives;
• develop their social and emotional skills, enabling them to be open to each other and to develop positive human and community relations;
• to be open to the world, to recognise the complexity of the world, to ask questions, to pose problems and to seek solutions;
• be able to behave independently and actively, to form their own opinions and to express them in an open and honest atmosphere of communication, typical of the group or institution
• make lifelong learning a natural part of their lives

What happens during development?

A total of 20 teachers from all the teachers of the institution will participate in the programme, and will adapt the elements of the programme by learning the Step by Step methodology.

By the end of May 2020, they will be familiarised with the Step by Step programme, they will acquire the necessary skills to implement cooperative learning, they will receive training in the basics of differentiated teaching and the integration of the programme will be accompanied by a strong mentoring programme, implemented by Mari Zágon at the institution.

During the training, teachers will learn how to create an environment for children that

• where they are actively engaged, living, learning and experiencing the world,
• where they can experience "I am important, my ideas matter, my opinions count"
• experience a sense of belonging to a team and practice teamwork....
• where they can test themselves ... "I can do it..." "I can do it", and "if I fail, I can try again"

The training builds on the strengths of teachers and provides them with support and professional solutions for their everyday situations.

The total cost of the project is HUF 2 516 000, supported by the Evangelical Church.

The National Association of Hungarian Family and Child Welfare Services (MACSGYOE) took place in October 2019 in Siófok, Greece. This year, the conference focused on child welfare services, with a special session on the present and future of the contact centre. Dr. Liliána Urbán, lawyer, mediator, and Gabriella Gergely, social worker, mediator, from the Directorate of Social and Child Welfare Institutions of Ferencváros (FESZGYI), were present as section leaders, and Tünde Bulyáki, professional development officer from the Methodology Department of the Directorate General for Social and Child Protection and Mirna Csillag, child protection expert from the Family and Child Welfare Centre of Újpalota, were present as experts.

On the one hand, the contact case provides a neutral place for the child(ren) and the separating parent(s) during or after the transitional period of the divorce, so that the child can exercise his or her right of contact in safety. This means that not be involved in frequent games and violence between parents during the divorce. The focus should be purely on maintaining contact with the family member who lives separately. Often parents forget in the battle that their joint child loves them both, and it is very painful to experience two parents hurting each other and most children blame themselves for the family breakdown. Therefore, an important goal of the service is for the child to gain his or her own experience of the family member who is separated from him or her, which helps the child and the separating parent to connect and then develop the relationship. On the other hand, the professionals also aim to educate parents to be able to build a new life after the separation, in which the other parent is still seen and relied upon as a parent. So, as a responsible parent, taking into account the best interests of the child, the most a parent can do is cooperation with the other parentaspiration. This approach can help to achieve the ultimate goal, i.e. the so-called discharge from the service, so that the child and the separated parent can later continue regular contact in an outside location and then in the parent's new home. This is the motto of the service they run, which comes from Dr. Ferenc Kardos: "In the midst of the greatest human pain and disappointment, the break-up of marriages or partnerships often does not mean complete separation from the other party. A child in common is a bond between parents that is not easily broken, and whose severance is desirable only in rare cases. The child needs both parents, with few exceptions, and the love, support and example of the separating parent cannot be replaced by the other parent, even if he or she loves him or her."

MACSGYOE annual conference events We asked Dr. Lilián Urbán and Gabriella Gergely from FESZGYI to report on the events of the session, and they answered our questions in an interview.

Partners Hungary Foundation (PHA): First of all, I would like to ask you to briefly introduce yourselves and tell us how you were able to be a session leader at the conference?

Gabriella Gergely (GG): I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the MACSGYOE Board for inviting me to the conference and the Partners Hungary Foundation for their interest and presence. We also have a regular working relationship with Partners Hungary, as we often participate in their trainings and invite their staff as speakers at professional events organised by our institution.

As a Tatabánya resident and a social worker, my first job was at the ESI in Tatabánya (Tatabánya District Unified Social Institutions) I had the opportunity to attend a mediation training course in 2002, which provided the basics for mediation and liaison work. As a member of a very innovative team, I enjoyed the training and understood the essence of the method and technique, which was still new at the time, but I was full of doubts as to how this method could be applied in the social and child protection field.

Many years later, after several mediation training courses, the knowledge acquired was put together, because mediation is a very specialised field, unlike general mediation. It is special in many ways. For example, one of the main aims of contact management work is to build the relationship between the child and the separated family member, so the emotions. And in terms of volunteering, mostly obligated (by court, guardianship office) clients use the contact centre service. Furthermore, the issue of impartiality is also different from the general, classical mediation, as it is openly the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration for the contact mediator. Last but not least, the remuneration of the mediator and the costs to be paid by the parties are also different, because the use of the mandatory special service of the child welfare centre free of charge.

Later, after moving to Budapest, I was asked by the management of the FESZGYI, my workplace in the IXth district, in 2009, together with my colleague Luca Lukács, a social worker-psychologist, to start and run the contact centre of the Child Welfare Centre.

Over the past 10 years, we have provided this service successfully and smoothly, partly because of our commitment and because we have always put the best interests of the child first. We have viewed the work of the contact centre as a process, which we see as a long, drawn-out mediation process with individual developments.

Complex service we aimed to help all family members, so that the child could continue to have regular contact in external settings or in the parent's home (natural environment). In this work the acceptance of situations, family members and the child's need and individual pace in terms of rebuilding and deepening relationships were considered the most important. Now, after 10 years, we have handed over the service to two of our colleagues, László Bázsa-Mosó, who works at our institution, and Dr. Lilián Urbán, who joined us as an external member and with whom we worked in the conference session. So, before me, I was in the position of my successor, Lili and I am glad that we had the opportunity to work together, because I think it is important to continue the professional principles, continuity and transfer of experience in the ongoing operation of a service.

At the national level, the quality of the on-call contact centre service is quite scattered, as confirmed by a national survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources (EMMI), the results of which were presented to the session audience by the Methodology Department of the Directorate General for Social Affairs and Child Protection.

Liliána Urbán (UL): Being able to be a session leader at the conference is a great honour and I see it as a special opportunity for a number of personal reasons. One is that Dr. Ferenc Kardos name brings back childhood memories for me, because in the early 90s my mother, Erika Urbán worked as his deputy for a while at the Educational Counselling Centre of District VII, where Dr. Ferenc Kardos established the Contact Foundation. I am currently working full-time as a lawyer at the Budapest University of Economics and Business, and, as Gabi mentioned, I am also a mediator at the contact desk of the Family Support and Child Welfare Centre of the FESZGYI. Behind my professions and my work, I can put the value of having a serious social shaping power. Higher education, mediation and contact centre services also influence the way people think. I believe that the work you put in goes beyond the personal and can make not only your future better, but the future of others. As a closing thought to my introduction, I would like to say that it is a great experience for me to be interviewed by Partners Hungary Foundation, where I sometimes volunteer my time to help the organization. I think it's important to work together, and it's a good feeling to meet organisations in this way, even in the context of an interview like this.

PHA: Why was it necessary to have a separate session on the on-call contact centre service at the conference?

UL: The half-day session focused on the tasks, practical aspects and underlying legal framework of the contact centre, to help professionals working in the field. The aim was to reflect with the participants on formulate proposals to further improve the service, with a particular focus on children's interests. At the end of the conference, when summing up the sessions, the experts called on the EMMI, as the body responsible for management and supervision, to support the development of the service. This requires more financial support and a clearer legal environment.

GG: As mentioned I made a national research, which is one of the mandatory, specific services provided by family and child welfare centres examined the situation of the contact centre. Also in 2018, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights issued a report following a complaint that a child's right to contact with his grandparent had been violated because the municipality could not provide this service to the child and his relative. As the service is to be provided by family and child welfare service providers from 2004 time to talk openly about the lessons and experiences of the past 15 years. In the interests of children, it is important that they have access to a relatively uniform quality of service across the country, which is why it is necessary to talk about legislative harmonisation the minimum professional standards (clarification of the concepts used, the levels of contact, the expectations regarding the training of professionals) and the material and personal conditions required for the service are standardised by the profession. It would also be important for decision-makers and service providers to have these professional minimum standards be known and, based on the same knowledge base, decisions on contact can be made according to the child's individual needs and interests.

PHA: In relation to what has been said before, can it happen that the best interests of the child are not put first? Does it happen in practice that this is put into the background?

GG: In our experience, in divorce proceedings, judges try to facilitate an agreement between the parents, and if this is successful and there are no child endangering circumstances in the proceedings, judges regulate contact by giving the right to remove the child to the separated parent. This is a welcome development, and so in the vast majority of divorces there is no need for a decision to regulate contact by a contact order. However, in cases where, when the decision-making judge considers that the safety of the child and the history of the case require the involvement of professionals and contact in a neutral place, he or she will order so-called supervised contact. This may occur in cases where children have been traumatised during the divorce, where the parent may have a mental illness, addiction or housing difficulties due to contact, or where the perpetrators and victims of violence are the parents, for example where the presence of domestic violence has been established in the proceedings. Or there has simply been no regular contact between the child and the separated parent for many years, so the presence of a professional can help to rebuild the relationship.

Unfortunately, it can happen that the interests of the contact holder (separated parent) or the contact obligor (custodial parent) prevail in a procedure, instead of or in addition to the interests of the child. Consider that in most cases, parents in litigation are accompanied by a legal representative who represents the interests of the client in the proceedings. Who represents the rights and interests of the child in protracted, contentious proceedings? So my big dream is that we can change this approach together, to redefine the issue so that the rights of the child should be the primary consideration, and that the child does not have to live through the divorce as a victim of games and fights, that it is important for the parents and the professionals involved to keep the child informed of what is happening, that he or she is not in uncertainty during the procedure, etc.

PHA: What can be done with a severely traumatised child?

GG: We have already talked about the purpose of the contact centre, its target group, and obviously these determine the working methods we use in this service. When we find that the help provided in the service is not enough, i.e. assessing the child's condition, understanding his/her relationship with his/her parents, reassuring, informing, helping to rebuild the relationship, mediation, etc., then we will recommend a targeted transfer to another service. As our own institution, the FESZGYI also offers a wide range of services, from psychological counselling to addiction counselling, we try to find the right other professional services, primarily within the institution. This is done in a specific way, primarily by consulting the case manager (family support worker or case manager) in the family and child welfare service, while preparing the parents and the child for the tasks ahead. If necessary, the case manager, with the involvement of the family may also convene a case conference, where, by thinking together, the best decision for the child can be made. The case conference will also be attended by a member of the liaison team, as professional work with families and children is based on teamwork.

PHA: Do children who have experienced domestic violence enter the system?

GG: Yes, because in these cases, the court or guardianship office making the decision wants to keep the child safe, for example in contact with the contact centre. According to the principles of the Child Protection Act if a child witnesses violence or aggression between parents, this is also a risk factor. If the parent commits violence against the child, the judge will decide whether it is in the child's best interests to have regular contact or whether it is limited to some or all of the contact. Obviously, a thorough understanding of each case is required on the part of the decision-maker, including the involvement of a forensic expert, and a detailed exploration of the history.

PHA: What do you think the legislation in Hungary is like. Is it clear for professionals?

UL: Processing the regulatory background is not an easy task. The provisions relating to the service are found in several pieces of legislation and are often scattered. In recent years, the practice of service provision has undergone significant changes, which the legislative environment has not yet been able to adequately reflect. I would like to highlight the integration of mediation, or mediation as it is called in law, into the procedure, which has also brought significant changes. It raises questions about the qualification requirements for liaison officers, and in what cases, when and how they can be used. The provisions on mediation have not been revised, and there are many contradictions and ambiguities in the legislation, which call into question the applicability of this otherwise highly effective method.

Gabi in the previous, as you mentioned, often there is no consistency in the use of terms for the service. It is not always the case that, for example, when the court sets the level of contact, it will be clear from that what exactly the professional is supposed to do. We have seen examples where the court's decision was not precise in its definitions, leaving the practitioner to guess how strict the rules would be in the process. This can determine the course of contact, time etc., so it has a significant influence on the process. Such misunderstandings can easily occur if the legislation does not clarify the concepts, so a case, for example, may be unnecessarily protracted.

PHA: How can mediation be used in the service? How are the two related?

GG: Our understanding is that the path from entry into the contact centre to exit is itself a protracted mediation process. This process is about empowering parents to listen to and accept the interests and needs of their children. This can be a big burden for adults at a time of divorce, because for some serious reason they have decided that they cannot or do not want to continue their lives together. Divorce is a loss, as no one starts life together with the intention of getting a divorce. During a period of separation, it is common for parents not to want to be in the same room as the other party, and this is entirely justified in cases of domestic abuse, for example. With this in mind, we also initially take this into account in our discussions with parents we use walking mediationduring which parents do not need to be present in the same space or even at the same time, but we mediate between them. This method can also help to prevent the child from experiencing a so-called conflict of loyalties, which the presence of both parents in such a difficult situation can only generatebecause, as we have already discussed, the child, except in a few cases, loves both parents and understandably wants to please both of them. So in the service, we use the walking mediation and then later mediation, where the family members participate in the meeting at the same time, taking their decisions about future relationships into their own hands. If the age and maturity of the child allows, the child may also be involved in this process.

PHA: Can the law provide security and protection for all participants?

UL: In my view law can only perform its function properly if it is as realistic as possible, keeps abreast of changes in practice and sets out clear, yet transparent, requirements. I also believe that practitioners should not be expected to have the legal knowledge that the current confusing and not always clear legal environment requires. Much more I would prefer to see a separate professional protocol for the service. Previously, in 2016, the EMMI issued a professional protocol On the social support work processes in the framework of family and child welfare services entitled. The document covers several services and, although it sets out the professional expectations precisely, it is too broad and it is difficult to pick out the parts on contact management. It would be useful to so, even alongside such a comprehensive material, but in any case separately create a centralised, legally compliant, but non-legally textual, constantly updated contact centre protocol.

PHA: How cooperative are the courts with child welfare and child protection actors?

GG:  A desire for cooperation and consensus-based agreement, as mentioned above, is also necessary on the part of the families involved in the service and the professionals involved in the process. I think that the judges and the guardianship agencies, who are involved as the contact decision makers, and we are involved as the service providers and professionals involved in implementing the decision, We must approach this sensitive issue with responsibility and professionalism, as we are dealing with children. The difficulty often lies in the lack of communication between decision-makers and service providers. There is a misunderstanding of concepts and often a failure to consider what is in the best interests of the child. Communication can be facilitated by the above-mentioned legal harmonisation, the establishment of professional regulators and clarification of issues relating to the financing of the service. However, my own experience has been very positive in this respect, as over the ten years we have succeeded in establishing cooperation between our institution and the decision-making bodies. Sometimes it has only been necessary to hold a meeting to clarify the conditions for access to the service, its professional objectives and to establish a procedure with the decision-making bodies, which has eased communication breakdowns. We were delighted to take part in the round table discussions initiated by the Central District Court of Pest, which have been held traditionally for four years now, where the staff of the guardianship offices and the family and child welfare centres were able to discuss the rules governing contact. It is important that the staff of the relevant bodies see each other as partners and recognise each other's knowledge, professionalism and all involved should be motivated by what is in the best interests of the child in the particular case.

PHA: What do you think is the biggest professional challenge in this job?

GG: It's difficult to answer that, I really loved my job, probably because it was challenging. Communicating with family members in what may seem like the simplest of situations can be a challenge, as it is an emotionally challenging time to meet children and their adult family members in this service. Perhaps the biggest challenge may be synthesizing the diverse knowledge and experience gained over the years as a professional. An incredible variety of knowledge is needed and it has been a realisation over the years that we ourselves have learned from time to time in this process. You need to be aware of the psychology of divorce, the trauma management, the dynamics and background of abuse, parental alienation, the specifics of the games, the basics of child psychology, legal knowledge, and there you need to be able to give appropriate responses and reactions in the given situation and I could go on and on. And obviously, all reactions and communications can only be conveyed authentically and consistently in this work, with a lot of humility. Of course acceptance is one of the keys of this work. Not to judge others, but to give support and points of reference for individual development.

PHA: What do you consider to be the most incompatible legally and humanly?

UL: I do not think it is appropriate that professionals working in the social sector are employed without their contracts specifying the exact duties of their job. I find this worrying from a labour law point of view and also from a human rights point of view. As a result, we can have the regrettably common situation of professionals being forced into multiple roles with minimal pay, which also raises professional difficulties because of the conflict of interest between roles. I would consider it important to remedy these in order to fill the service with motivated professionals, which I see as an obstacle to the above.

PHA: Do you feel that the work in the contact centres is successful, can you talk about results in such a difficult period in the life of broken families?

GG: The many small steps that family members take in this process can lead to success. With the goal, let's say, of keeping the child safe, building a relationship with the parent, and then getting the child out of the service, then our service has achieved its goal and has been successful. There is a raison d'être for this service, as children are also being modeled in this process on how to identify and articulate their emotions, how to manage their conflicts, which goes beyond the primary goals of the service. We have accompanied the children in our service through beautiful and difficult moments. There was also the case of a teenage child who realised after about six months that his parent living abroad was coming to Hungary just for him, for that two-hour contact. In this case, it was a cathartic moment because the child did not dare to believe that he or she could be wanted by his or her separated parent, due to the possible parental alienation. Today the child attends out-of-hours, weekend-long activities with his parent, so the service has achieved its goal of successful discharge.

PHA: How do you rate the conference in Siofok overall?

GG: I am confident that the power of collective thinking and the will to act can spark a professional dialogue and that this session has been a thought-provoking one to shape the vision of this service. For my part, I would have liked to have made the session more informative, but I am also aware that four and a half hours of session work is not enough to cover everything. Basically, it is very it was uplifting to see the very active participation of professionals and professional leaders from all over the country, I thank them for this.

UL: The conference provided a number of useful ideas from the participants. We were able to work in excellent harmony as session leaders and with the experts, which I feel motivated the participants. I was pleased to see in the summary at the end of the conference that we were able to summarise all the issues for the EMMI, which gives us hope for a positive future.

In the meantime, I recommend the publication of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Szeged, compiled by mediators organised by the Partners Hungary Foundation. The handbook is entitled Divorce Mediation from the Children's Perspective. In the publication, the mediators tried to put the child's interests into perspective.

What is the aim of our Early Childhood Matters project?

A Bernar Van Leer Foundation works to create a caring environment through research and practical programmes. Now you can hear the latest research in English, in three themes, Róbert Alföldi in his voice. The aim of our Early Years Matters project is to raise awareness among parents of young children, their professionals and policy makers about important issues such as air pollution, child-friendly urban planning and the role of fathers in the family, in a way that is easy to understand. For the project, we translated the articles from the Bernard van Leer Foundation and asked Robert Alföldi to read them.

Why are these topics important?

We believe that with the right information, we can make good decisions as professionals and as individuals.

Listen to the latest research in a few minutes!

Clean air on prescription: the impact of air pollution on children.

• The link between poorer child health and air pollution is becoming increasingly clear. Research has shown a link between the number of pregnant women living in highly polluted environments and the number of premature and underdeveloped babies and stillbirths.
• Further research has also shown links between air pollution and infant mortality, neurodevelopmental disorders, increased risk of childhood cancers (especially leukaemia), worsening of childhood asthma and other serious respiratory diseases.

(Authors: Julia Gorman, Marie-Noel Bru ne Drisse)

Child-friendly streets - a child-friendly urban environment.

• Research shows that the urban environment can have an impact on children's development and cognitive abilities, and can be a source of great pleasure for both children and the adults who care for them.
• It is increasingly important to think about people, and especially children, when designing the urban environment.
• It is also important that decision-makers and representatives of the professions concerned pay attention to this and give local communities as much say as possible. Because although we see different streets all over the world, the principles of child-friendly street design are the same everywhere and are equally important everywhere.

(Authors: Skye Duncan, Ankita Chachra, Annie Peyton)

Loving fathers, happy children: flexible gender roles. 

• We present one initiative in Uganda and one in Rwanda that focus specifically on fathers. These programmes also show how much it means when fathers are involved in the care of children. The results also show that these methods can be successfully applied to other development programmes for young children.
• Both initiatives are based on the idea of flexible gender roles. Prevailing social expectations often have a strong influence on family life, suggesting that men can control women or discipline children in harsh ways.
• These two initiatives seek to change these standards and thus redress inequalities. On the other hand, it focuses on positive role models and thus seeks to change the male role towards that of a loving father, a supportive and equal partner.
• Some research shows that when fathers play a positive role in parenting, children become more emotionally balanced, integrate more easily into the community and develop more quickly mentally. Other research shows that this approach reduces future violent behaviour.

Download the summaries and share them with your colleagues!

Child-friendly streets

Loving fathers

Clean air on prescription

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The translation of the articles and the videos were made possible thanks to the Bernard Van Leer Foundation and the International Step by Step Association supported by.

Who is involved in the Education Development Programme?

What are we doing in the Education Development Programme?

What are the results of the project so far?

• We trained 66 teachers in 9 kindergartens, who were introduced to 6 new methods.
• The Sunshine Nursery is run entirely using the Step-by-Step method.
• The total number of training hours is 190 and mentoring is 80 hours.

Why is it important to improve access to health care for Roma?

 The fact that life expectancy for Roma is 10 years lower than for non-Roma requires cross-sectoral cooperation, as these social factors (poor housing, low access to health services, inadequate information for patients, limited infrastructure in Roma settlements, poor living conditions, extreme poverty, geographical and social exclusion) are all closely linked to the health status of people living in poverty.

Previous research suggests that municipalities with little social, economic and political capacity are more likely to suffer environmental damage and harm, and therefore less likely to reap environmental benefits. Among the inhabitants of these settlements, those living in excluded settlements are also the most affected. They are predominantly of lower socio-economic status, less educated and disproportionately affected by environmental damage from hazardous waste, incinerators, factories and abandoned industrial sites. They find it difficult to access environmental benefits such as clean drinking water, adequate sewage treatment facilities or utility services. In these settlements, public environmental services are either outside the upper class or are generally concentrated in areas where environmentally controversial practices (e.g. illegal dumping) are concentrated.

For all these reasons:

• Moving from a culture of guilt and fearlessness to a culture of trust and cooperation to generate change.
• Replace social dependency and paternalism with active citizenship, promote respect for human rights, good governance, participatory democracy and inclusive implementation.
• The social determinants of the public health situation and health status of the Roma population living in poverty require active local cooperation between stakeholders, measures including a joint action plan and changes to a more efficient allocation of local resources to promote better health status of Roma settlements.

What do we want to achieve with the programme?

The main objectives of the project are to gather relevant evidence on the social and environmental determinants of Roma health, to strengthen the need for research-based evidence to influence relevant public policies and to mobilise local Roma communities to engage in public participation, intercultural mediation and advocacy, leading to long-term improvements in their health.

What are we doing to do this?

• Review of local health and environment policies
• We make a tangent map
• We carry out household investigations
• We produce case studies
• We run training courses
• We work with intercultural mediation
• Establish a community action group, map the public health and environmental situation of Roma residents
• Institutional working group set up, mapping the public health and environmental situation, involving the institutions concerned
• Participatory media project activities on health and environmental issues
• Process evaluation
• Developing and implementing a public health mini project together
• We organise local campaigns
• We organise national workshops

In practice, the intercultural mediators in the Mésztelep tell us how they are succeeding in winning more and more people to join the community action:

What results do we expect?

• The studies will influence local and national public policies, raise awareness of health and environmental risks affecting Roma, and propose more effective measures to improve the situation of Roma.
• Strengthening the advocacy potential of Roma communities in the field of public health and environmental justice, developing active citizenship attitudes
• Strengthening cooperation between community members and relevant institutions
• Campaigns will give visibility to the good practices generated by the project, leading to improvements in public health and the environment at local level.

Our partners:

• PAD Foundation for Environmental Justice
• Roma Press Centre

How does an intercultural mediator create a dialogue between Roma and non-Roma parents and teachers in the school?

Find out from Hajnalka Kókai, an intercultural mediator from Nyírbátor.

In Nyírbátor, I have a difficult task as a mediator, because there is a huge community and a huge number of school administrators to work with.

But ever since the school The Community programme matters since then my work has become easier and smoother. This programme was brought to our school by the Partners Hungary Foundation.

The aim of the programme is to improve the relationship between parents, teachers and school leaders, so that they can work together despite cultural differences.

In recent times, we have been working to give parents the opportunity to show themselves in their children's classroom, to try out what it is like to be a teacher. These sessions were also very much enjoyed by the children, as it was a new experience for them too.

The brainstorming sessions with the teachers were also very good, because something started here, a joint discussion and joint work. We made carnival masks, painted eggs, baked gingerbread. I had one of these sessions in my son's class, I really enjoyed it, the children were open, they worked with me, I never felt uncomfortable or embarrassed for a minute. It was like I was born for this! It all went like a well-oiled machine. But it needed the openness and work of the children, as well as the effective organisation and support of our teachers.

The Foundation has brought several programmes to the school to promote dialogue.

• During family visits, parents invite the teacher to visit them, so the teacher can get to know the child's environment and spend informal, non-school time with the parents. I personally liked this very much, because it gave me a new perspective on the teacher that I had never experienced before. Our relationship has also improved a lot since then.
• There was also a parents' group meeting at the school, which is about parents daring to talk about their positive and negative experiences of school matters in front of each other, because sharing experiences is always very important, and this can be used to build a better, more livable school parent community later on, by working together. It is very important that they are able to say what bothers them or what is better for them.
• It's important to say not only the negative things but also the good things, because it can shed a different light on things, give you new perspectives and bring you closer together. Over the years, we have seen that thoughts that are left unsaid can only lead to anger and bad relationships. But if we manage to open up to each other, we can start a common path that will be a path that will be shared in the institution, both for parents and for the management.

These programmes are, I think, very useful for our institution, for the staff, for the students and for the parents. By working together, we can achieve significant results, which will take a lot of time, but it will be worth every minute."

 Today's young people face many dangers: hatred of difference and minority groups, violence, addictions, self-destruction, etc. In order to ensure the stability of society and to protect young people and prevent the development of threats that could lead to extremist behaviour, we must be aware of these dangers and be ready to take appropriate steps to prevent and intervene.

What was the aim of our PreventNet project?

• capacity building for youth workers in education and social work
• helping young people to become resilient to hatred and radicalisation and to develop their capacity to build a peaceful society
• raise awareness of the importance of the issue, initiate inter-organisational dialogue between professionals and other stakeholders and gain more allies, even non-traditional ones, for preventive work
• targeted dissemination of Central and Eastern European perspectives and approaches in international prevention networks

What activities did the project cover? 

• Collecting and publishing good practices on the prevention and management of radicalisation and developing training materials for international knowledge exchange
• International training for youth professionals and implementation of selected good practices with young people
• PreventNet training on preventing radicalisation for professionals working with young people
• Organising round tables to strengthen cooperation between youth organisations, professionals and policy experts

What are the expected results?

• Professionals working in the field will be better equipped to prevent and deal with intolerance and hatred of difference among young people
• Best practices in Central and Eastern Europe on this topic, not yet widely known, are becoming more visible
• Strengthening cooperation between organisations and professionals/experts in the field
• Young people develop their social and cooperation skills and become more resistant to hatred and radicalisation

What have we done so far in Hungary?

• Participation in the collection, selection and evaluation of good practices
• We organised a 2 and a half day PreventNet training for Hungarian youth professionals led by trainers from German Cultures Interactive, which gave them the tools to better identify, prevent and deal with different forms of hate and discrimination against difference
• We held a round table discussion entitled "Anti-radicalism Policy Cafe", with the aim of establishing closer cooperation between professionals working with young people - teachers, social workers, psychologists, etc. - and policy experts to prevent and tackle radicalism.
• The Hungarian team took part in the 5-day PreventNet Summer University in Ruzomberok, Slovakia, where we exchanged good practices on preventing and dealing with hate, discrimination and radicalism against diversity. As part of this, we provided training to our international partners on the use of mediation and restorative methods in the field.
• Trainers from Partners Hungary Foundation, as well as teachers and other professionals working with young people, have been trained to deliver experiential sessions to teenagers to sensitise them to radicalism, prejudice and hate speech. It is important to be able to talk about difficult issues, and we have been given methodological tools to do this.
• We also tested the methods with two groups of secondary school students. We worked for five days with young people aged 14-18
• We have collected the good practices in a booklet, download for free: Preventnet good practices

Claim online a hard copy of your own by 20 December, which we will mail to you for free! 

This was the reason given by a participant in the PreventNet training for giving a maximum score in the evaluation of the event:

"The training has given me a great boost, motivation and success, which will make me more effective and confident in my work."

How did we close the programme?

Partners Hungary Foundation and the Budapest Center for the Prevention of Mass Atrocities, which participated in the project from the Hungarian side, organized a virtual roundtable as a closing event of the project, which provided an opportunity for activists and theoreticians to exchange views on challenges, challenges to be addressed and ways to strengthen cooperation.

• In addition to the exciting presentations, the programme also included lively and meaningful panel discussions. As part of the morning programme, Dániel Berg, Deputy Mayor of the Second District, Zoltán Hegedűs from the National Youth Council, Bálint Jósa from the Subjective Values Foundation and András Nyirati from the Network of Human Rights Educators exchanged views on the roles and cooperation opportunities of politicians and NGOs in the field of preventing radicalism.
  During the exchange of experiences, the panellists made it clear that, despite their naturally different perspectives, the different sectors share the same concern to address the radicalisation of youth, to strengthen prevention and cooperation, and to regularly exchange views, information and experiences between government and civil society. They also expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue that has been initiated.
• In the afternoon, we discussed, among other things, the controversial book Fairyland for All and its reception. We invited Dorottya Rédai from Labrisz Association, the project leader, Annamária Kádár, a fairy tale psychologist, Boglárka Nyúl, a social psychologist, and Mária Vásárhelyi, a sociologist, to the panel to get a clear and accurate picture of the topic. The experts agreed that the book, far from being harmful for young people, is very useful, as it can introduce them to a more diverse world, closer to reality, which can contribute to developing their openness to accepting difference and their social sensitivity. For young people from minority social groups, it is also important to develop a positive self-esteem. The "scandalous" reception of the book has also had a positive effect, as it has increased its popularity and is therefore likely to reach many more people.

" The book confirms that we are not all the same, we can take completely different paths and that's absolutely fine". Annamária Kádár

One participant's opinion on the event:

"I liked the interactivity the most. I got a lot of good ideas and valuable contacts".

 2018 October - 2020 September

Partners

The Anti-discrimination Education Society, PL

Ratolest Brno, CZ

REACH Institute, SK

Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia, SK

Centre for Community Organizing, SK

Partners for Democratic Change Hungary, EN

Budapest Centre for Mass Atrocities Prevention, EN

YMCA Dobrich, BG

Centre for the Study of Democracy, BG

Funding

The project is funded by the European Union Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020) and the Visegrad Fund.

Family visits can be an important element of parent-teacher cooperation.

In some cases it is easier to start teacher-parent cooperation, in other cases it is more difficult - for example when the family lives in a disadvantaged environment. In these cases, cooperation between parent and teacher does not fail not because the parent is not interested in his/her child, but because parent-teacher communication is very rarely based on partnership and may have been shamed in previous situations. 
While teachers have a huge burden, and we are not saying that everyone should take on more, we are showing a good practice where the extra effort has helped to foster a good parent-teacher relationship.

Family visit in Nyírbátor

• We started working with Partners Hungary Foundation in autumn 2016. In Emese Erzsébet Nagy, I met a great person who is trying to build a bridge between Roma and non-Roma people at the cost of enormous efforts. And the bridge provides the possibility of bringing the two "worlds" closer together.
• In my class, in the first grade, 60 % of the children were brought to school by their parents. We were in daily contact with them. Some of them were also at the parents' meeting in September. For those who could not come, I wrote a letter asking them to contact me when they had time and I would be the
  with children. I didn't set any boundaries, so far so good. When it suits them. And it worked.
• We agreed at the beginning that if there were any problems with the children in the class, we would discuss them together in school, not let them argue with each other, because that would not lead to good.

We have managed to do this! We were able to talk about issues that concern the children and they had the opportunity to
to contact us. We started working together based on mutual respect. I'm not saying that it was smooth with everyone, but time has helped in a positive way.

The Parents in School project has also contributed a lot to thinking together.

It is in its third year of successful operation.

• A new element this year was the family visit, aimed mainly at first graders. Nevertheless, I would have liked to have visited some places myself. It was an invitation-only thing, the parent invited me to their home. In our house the response was only positive: Auntie Zsófi is coming to visit us! But when? Everyone was curious. "You are welcome to come anytime, just before, but if she calls us, that would be good, because I can forget", said one mother.
• We made the appointments in advance and I think we were all looking forward to it with excitement. Two weeks ago, I was at school on a Friday afternoon, ran home after 4.30, unpacked my stuff, freshened up a bit and hit the road with my modest gift.

I know the city well enough, I thought, but I only know where the main streets are in the Roma area, where we are going to the beach. The children playing and walking outside greeted me with loud greetings and asked what I was doing here, even though I wasn't teaching them. From them I received confirmation that I was heading in the right direction. Tündi, the mother, was already standing outside the house, in plain sight, with her usual smile on her face and a hint of excitement in her eyes. I felt the same way. Of course, it's quite different after 3 years of knowing each other
go out somewhere, like in the autumn of first grade, when the relationship is still distant.

Family visit: excitement and shared joy

For Emie and me

Tidy little house, tidy yard, laundry on the patio dryer. On entering, I was greeted by a tastefully decorated, bright, beautifully furnished home. I was offered a seat, where my father was waiting, and my little pupil Emi, and we started chatting over cakes and drinks. First they told us about their home, how the house they now live in was built as a result of the extension. Of course, it's a common theme, as I also underwent a major renovation 2 years ago. Then the older daughter came along, and then eating, who likes what, and the problems of adolescence came up. Afterwards we talked about our school years, who went where, who was how old, and it turned out that we have some common experiences when we mentioned Nyírmihálydi, because my parents grew up there, my grandparents were there, I taught at the school for 4 years, and Sanyi, my father, is also a friend of that area. We talked about the gypsy language, the old crafts, the traditions, the possibilities,
about work and learning, and we tried to understand why this mostly mutually dismissive behaviour between Roma and non-Roma has developed. By the time we woke up, a quarter of a week had passed. Of course we couldn't change the world, but I think we had a good time.

Matthew

From there we went to the Máté's house, where Tündi accompanied us. The little boy had fallen ill, his mum had posted a message on Messenger, and since I had given out the Mother's Day poems that day, I thought I would post them for him, but I also indicated that I would. Of course Martika, the mother was standing in the gate waiting for me to get there. She also invited me into the house, offered me a place to stay and a drink, while excusing herself for not having had time to clean up thoroughly, because Máté was ill. I must add that I was welcomed here by a neat, tidy, tasteful home. Who on earth cares if the house has been scrubbed from floor to ceiling? That's not the point,
but the love I received, the love I feel when I talk to these parents. She also told me about her social care exam a few weeks ago and how difficult it is for them now that her dad, Attila, is ill and can't go to work. She is proud that 3 of her 5 children have already finished high school and all of them have a profession. However, she also spoke of the things that a child who has gone wrong experiences as a shame, a failure as a mother, and
which is very upsetting for him. Now, this was the point where the crying started. I tried to reassure him that a parent can influence his child to some extent, can show him the right path, but he can't take it instead. He was freeing himself by not wanting to burden me with his problems. Burden? But that's a confidential subject you don't share with just anyone. Only with someone, someone you trust.

The Lizi's

On Saturday afternoon last week, in the pouring rain, I went to Lizi's house for 4 hours. The mother, Margitka, was already waiting at the gate. A harmonious home welcomed me, and even the grandmother came over, who doesn't live with them by the way, but when the parents work, she often comes to pick up the kids at school and take part in the programs. We also talked to them like old acquaintances, about the children, the parents' start in life together, things at home, plans, and my approach to herding the kids around the school. It was really nice to hear that they think I have a slightly different spirit towards children than others. They had delicious pancakes that they made together, refreshments, fruit, and many other little things on the table. I also have a good relationship with them, which this afternoon has only deepened.

Thank you to all three of them for the opportunity to visit them, to see their lives and to get to know them even better! I wish that many teachers have similar experiences, because these moments make the respectful relationship that should work for children everywhere even stronger.

Zsófia Vadon-Zsadányi teacher
Nyírbátor Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary School

Find out more about Parents in School at our mediation conference on 31 May:
https://www.facebook.com/events/357364675075923/

Community based complex school programme

for effective prevention and treatment of aggression and bullying

ASAP - Against School Aggression Partnership is a project implemented from September 2015 until August 2018, funded by the Erasmus Programme of the European Union. The programme was led by Partners Hungary Foundation, in collaboration with SOS Malta, Partners Bulgaria Foundation and Szolnok Centre of Counselling Training.

ASAP aims to contribute to the reduction of school aggression and bullying in schools while establishing and strengthening the cooperation between different institutions that deal with the student community. The project developed a model program taking the form of a whole school approach that offers an accessible and easy to adopt tool, for the reduction of school violence and bullying, which was tested in eight secondary schools: three schools in Hungary, one school in Bulgaria and four schools in Malta. The project contributes to country's efforts to tackle bullying and school aggression, by promoting and providing alternative conflict resolution, management procedures and restorative methods to be used in schools.

You can download the intellectual outputs for free. These documents provide a methodoligical framework as well as practical information for experts working in the school environment.

National Report Malta

National Report Bulgaria

National report Hungary 

ASAP Model Programmes

ASAP_EU Dissemination and Communication Strategy

Bulgaria Research Report

Hungary Research Report

Malta Research Report

ASAP_EU Dissemination and Communication Strategy

Bulgarian Handbook of Implementation

Hungarian Handbook of Implementation

Maltese Handbook of Implementation

Please also look at our project videos

Promo video 

Student video Hungary

Student video Malta

Student video Bulgaria

Training video Malta

Training video Bulgaria

Training video Hungary

 "Come on, Teacher, I was just kidding." Or was I? How can I recognise types of aggression and bullying in school?

How can a complex anti-bullying programme fit into the busy daily life of a school?

On 5 June 2018, we held the closing conference of our Partnership against Aggression in Schools programme, funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The programme will run until 31 August, and we will make the most of it: in August, we will organise a training session for teachers from the partner schools in Szolnok, including evaluation and planning meetings, so that they can start the school year with a new impetus and the methods and approach learned in the project can be maintained in the everyday life of the school for as long as possible.

The plenary session of the conference featured the following speakers:

• Flóra Bacsó, the project coordinator, gave a short theoretical summary on the differences between conflict-aggression-disruption/abuse and what the three years of the project have been enough for. The model programme is not a magic wand (although there is a need for it in many cases) and this has to be accepted. Initiating change is a difficult and time-consuming process, but persistent, consistent work will bring results: a strong school community in which all involved - teachers, students, parents - feel safe. The programme has produced a wealth of technical material, which can be downloaded from from the project page.
• Ildikó Zornánszki, Head of Department (Mayor's Office of Szolnok City, Human Resources Directorate, Health and Family Department), told us about the other city and regional programmes for physical and mental health and healthy communities.
• Edit Gratzer-Sövényházy, Head of the Department of the National Crime Prevention Council, told us what makes the restorative approach more effective than the traditional punishment-discipline approach. The NBT is aware of the importance of alternative methods, and its programmes use alternative methods ranging from mediation to solution-focused coaching.
• Dr. Orsolya Zolnai, lawyer, mediator and restorative facilitator of the Szolnok Service Vocational Training Centre, explained how alternative procedures can be integrated into the life of the school, as the Centre's house rules, curriculum and pedagogical programme include elements of a restorative approach, and disciplinary cases can be settled in mediation or restorative conferences before disciplinary proceedings.
• Finally, through personal stories, we heard from teachers at the Centre how the restorative approach works in everyday life. The enthusiasm and credibility of Erika Berényiné Szabó, Dr. Hajnal Bottyánné Fehér, Éva Mészáros, Izabella Munkácsiné Tóth, trained mediators and restorative facilitators convince more and more teachers of the success of restorative methods.

Following the plenary session, parallel interactive workshops allowed participants to deepen their understanding of each programme element.

How can the same programme be adapted for different schools, even across different cultures? International knowledge sharing and exchange of experience with partner organisations in Malta and Bulgaria, in English

Restorative practices and mediation in everyday life - for school professionals. How can the topic of school aggression be dealt with in an interactive way in a classroom teacher's lesson, and through this, positively shape the classroom climate and strengthen class communities? During the session, basic training methods and tools taken from restorative techniques will be used, and the attitude-forming power of the methods will be made tangible through personal experience.

Conflict management techniques for a better atmosphere in the workplace. Concrete ways to make it easier to communicate with students on placements - for practitioners and other interested parties.

 At the end of the conference, We used the World Café method to explore sustainability issues.

 Here is a summary of this in bullet points.

1. What is needed to integrate the methods into school life?

• Parental involvement, parent forums
• Legal background, required by law, should be imposed centrally
• Include discussion groups in the timetable
• Teachers should be able to attend training courses, with the necessary resources
• Grants, such as Erasmus+
• More time for children for the class teacher
• Keep an open mind - both the board and the management are important
• Leader's attuned attitude, belief that it will pay off, transfer of commitment
• A charismatic leader who is not necessarily the leader of the organisation
• Time is needed to experience
• Involve a school psychologist, if available
• Involvement of a school inspector
• Organisation of case meetings
• Working Group
• Communication between colleagues, class visits, transfer of methods, tools, personal experiences
• Sounding out successes
• Less workload, fewer hours
• practice, with expert support
• motivating teachers, team building

2. How can we learn from each other and pass on our good practices?

• Regular, thematic workshops, practice-oriented
• Intra- and inter-institutional hospitalisation
• Dissemination conferences
• Deepening links between institutions with the help of the maintainer
• Professional development days for teachers
• Szolnok pedagogical days
• Information and mediation between the institutions
• Creating a thematic website that is free to access
• Press, TV, internet, local media
• convert monthly workshops into an online forum
• student-student exchanges, visits, gateways
• School forums e.g. child protection officers' meeting, Arany János programme meetings;
• Be in charge
• involvement and sensitisation of practitioners
• City events, Szolnok Day e.g.
• Institutions to publish professional content on their websites

The plenary was led by Wolrd Cafe:

• János Wagner
• Éva Deák
• Bacsó Flóra
• Krisztina Kukity

Although the Partnership Against Aggression in Schools project will soon come to an end, it is very reassuring to see that the methods are gaining more and more teachers.

• According to feedback from teachers, the training courses increased their methodological knowledge; their communication skills have improved; greater empathythey can approach problematic cases with a better understanding and acceptance of the many different points of view.
• As a result of the restorative conference, which was convened instead of disciplinary proceedings, the incident was not brought before the police, as expected, and none of the people involved had to leave the school.
• The effectiveness and durability of mediations and restorative circles vary from school to school and from case to case. However, we can say that in all cases treated, the people concerned experienced an improvement compared to the situation before the intervention.
• The good news is out: our trained educators have been invited to other schools to give a taste of their alternative conflict management methods, and have facilitated a reactionary circle in an external school on a specific case.

Read more about the programme and download free professional materials HERE!