There are mediators who also recommend mediation with confidence in cases of domestic violence. Yet mediation is not recommended in civil cases of domestic violence. The Patent Association's paper provides several arguments to show why.

Full professional recommendation of the PATENT Association HERE read:

leporello-mediacio-2014

It is also important to stress that mandatory mediation means that clients are obliged to appear before a mediator and listen to an introduction. If the parties then decide that they do not really want to participate in the mediation, the procedure will not be started. The mediator will issue a certificate that the parties have appeared but did not wish to take advantage of the mediation. This is a good way to give the parties correct information about the mediation and to give them confidence that they will be persuaded to participate voluntarily. If this does not happen, there will be no mediation, so the principle of voluntariness is preserved. Unfortunately, the mandatory element in the law is ambiguous, and mediators sometimes follow through even with great resistance. This information may help to ensure that the mediator does indeed act lawfully and that the parties' freedom of choice is not compromised.

Our November 2017 mediation conference was organised around the theme of divorce mediation, to which we invited international mediators to share their experiences.

Presentation of the IEDRS mediation institute in Luxembourg - Christian Bos IEDRS leader, founder, mediator 

Christian Bos spoke about his mediation experience in Luxembourg, France and Belgium

He started his presentation with a poetic question: How can mediation be considered a profession if the mediation practitioners do not agree professionally?

After 15 years of experience as a judge, Christian sees that the judges' judgement can never be as good as people's own judgement, which is why he decided to work as a mediator instead. He has gained most of his experience in family cases, where he has seen that it is difficult for the parties to accept that the mediator is not advocating their rights. In divorce cases, the child is often used as a weapon by the parents. It is therefore important to talk about whether to include the child in mediation when facilitating communication between parents. The IEDRS takes the position that mediation is a professional profession in its own right, and therefore adults have a place.

If the mediator gives advice in the mediation process (for example, from another field, such as law or psychology), he or she is committing professional misconduct. The mediator's job is to help the adult find a way of communicating with the child outside of mediation. The mediator must be independent, impartial and create a suitable atmosphere of trust to allow the parties to say anything freely.

For the future of mediation, it is important to have a clear, well-defined process of professional dialogue.

Since mediation is an option in both civil and criminal cases, it would be obligatory for the various professionals to inform the parties that they should try to resolve their conflict using this method. IEDRS mediators are working on a process to sensitise governments to make mediation mandatory before any legal process. They know that mediation is a voluntary process, but it is important that clients are informed.

Their long-term goal is to make mediation as widespread as possible.

Mediator experiences in non-verbal communication and transaction analysis (TA) in terms of - Christophe de Meeus - IEDRS partner, trainer, mediator

We all have conflicts that are a natural part of human relationships. However, if not handled properly, they can escalate, for example in a work environment, to the point of suicide attempts in extreme cases. They must be prevented. First, it is worth understanding how conflict works. The difficulty lies in the fact that emotions are difficult to manage. And this is what causes 80% of conflicts. And if negative emotions dominate for a long time, we cannot end the conflict. During mediation, clients need to express these feelings so that they can then be able to calm them down. For this we need communication tools. A separate discussion with the client at the start of mediation can be a good opportunity to do this. But first and foremost, it is important that the mediator is clear about his or her own feelings. Sufficient self-awareness is important to understand one's own reactions.

The IEDRS practice of working through clients' own emotions can be implemented in the separate handover. The mediator can use the questions to guide the parties towards change. What happened that brought about the change? What has changed? In the process, emotions should be captured. The story is a guide for the client, but it should not lead the mediator into excessive detail or interpretation. It is important for the mediator to help the parties to communicate forward, but not to give advice. Therefore, it is of particular importance from a TA perspective that the mediator adult self-statestay in and not communicate from the rescuing parent, so be able to control your own emotions.

According to the IEDRS, a mediator can work on all types of cases, without having to specialise in one type of case. Empathy is just as important in any interview, where the focus is on the other person and not on yourself.

As a mediator, we need to know different behaviours because they help us to understand our clients, which is why NLP, TA, non-verbal communication basics are taught at IEDRS. Our aim is not to become mediators specialists in these methods, just to understand how people work.

To see the non-verbal signs of others, we need to know our own feelings. We have to learn them on ourselves. We need to learn about ourselves at the beginning of the learning process in order to understand others well later on. We all have the capacity to recognise and understand. We pay attention not only to what the other person says, but also to the gestures they use. These signs can be learned.

Separate whether someone is an expert in non-verbal means or a mediator. The mediator should ask questions, not interpret things independently.

All signals provide us with information, but not all of them are meaningful. The use of the right hand, for example, is associated with the left hemisphere, which is the centre of logical analysis. And there are many signals that we can link to the right hemisphere, which is the centre of emotions, visualisation, creativity. If we listen with empathy, then the signs of non-verbal communication can help us. It is important for the mediator to pay attention to these signs so that he or she can guide the process well. Body language can give us clues about many emotions. Before people open their mouths, they are already communicating with their bodies. If we see a sign, for example, when someone is very quiet and puts their hand over their mouth, we can ask them if they want to say something?

We can distinguish between 1500 and 2000 non-verbal signals. As this is too many, let's progress gradually in learning. Eye and hand movements are of paramount importance. We must rely on both sight and hearing as senses to get a complete picture of the speaker.

Transactional analysis in mediation 

As in the process of learning non-verbal signals, we can only apply the principles of transactional analysis (TA) to ourselves at first. According to the IEDRS school of thought, within the parent and child self-states, there are 4 parts, with negative and positive content. The parent may be caring, within which he is either giving (positive) or saving (negative), or critical, within which he is either normative (positive) or persecuting (negative). The child may be adaptive, within which he is either conforming (positive aspect; the subcategory is called the same by design) or subordinate (negative), or rebellious, within which he is either free (positive) or rebellious (negative aspect; the subcategory is called the same by design).

What we consider positive and achievable in mediation, for the sake of communication, is the adult self-state.

• According to the questionnaire sent out in advance, if your adult ego level is high (above 10 points), you have the ability to inform, summarise, question, listen. The adult allows us to choose the other self-states according to the situation.
• By reaching out to clients and informing them, it is possible to give from the caring parent self. For example, if the client is aggressive, we can help the client from the normative parent self, say by repeating the rules.
• In the case of divorce, we cannot go back into the parents' past, because there is a line between mediation and therapy. If a couple sees that a relationship is over, a mediator can help them to understand this. If the mediator keeps his/her distance and does not judge, he/she can also help by.
• We can't refer them to a psychologist, but we can make them aware that they can seek outside help.

No games - Adults at the negotiating table SolomonDorottya trainer, coach, mediator, Gordon & TA Ltd.

How can the mediator stay in the adult self-bed?

The difference between mediation vs court proceedings is also relevant for TA. Mediation invites adult-adult communication by the very placement of the equipment; the focus is on accompaniment rather than truth-telling, and the rules are more flexible. The judge, on the other hand, is present more from the critical parental self-state.

Game situations, a series of transactions with hidden motives, move towards a well-defined, predictable outcome, with the aim of achieving some kind of profit. An important tool can be the understanding attention and the confrontational self-message sent from the adult self-state.

It is a typical game situation in mediation when the process is going nowhere. One goal of this may be a gain for the game starter, in which it is acknowledged that it is not possible to move the parties towards a solution.

Typical games

• "Court" - now tell us who is right!
• "And in addition"
• "Yes, but"
• "You can see that I have tried everything" (psychological need: I should not be ordered around)

The following methods can help to stop the games:

• empathic understanding
• recognition
• Reflection
• special negotiation
• "let's take this hot topic off the table now"

Our children's games in divorce - Ágnes Kőszegi - consultant, Gordon & TA Kft

During divorce, it is often symptomatic if children experience a change in academic average or behaviour. The pre-divorce and post-divorce periods are the most difficult emotionally. Play tends to come into children's lives before the divorce because they often want to keep the family together. If there is a sibling or a grandparent, the child has someone to talk things through with. Experience shows that children are reluctant to talk to parents about divorce.

Emotions determine the game people play.

Children are in a vulnerable position, with only waiting. Bringing the child's best interests into mediation issues can be important, because if parents are angry, they won't listen to each other.

In families, there may be taboos that make children afraid or unable to express what is inside them in words. Or they may rebel - or, as adaptable children, they may say what their parents want to hear. Because of this, parents can point fingers at each other when they use the child as a tool. A free child's sense of self can help the child to work out his or her emotions, for example by letting out tensions in sports or artistic activities. If the parents can communicate without anger, the child's communication can come in sooner, in his or her best interests. It is important to listen to what they are afraid of, what they feel. When parents come to mediation during divorce, the interests of parents and children should be harmonized.

While talking to parents, the effects of divorce should also be considered - from the children's point of view, but it would be good to spare children from adult mediation.

We hope that by the end of the conference, new contacts and inspirations will have been made that will bring the profession together in the future to start more dialogue.

Thanks to Dr. Zsuzsa Várkonyi Karsai, Dr. Peter Várkonyi and Dr. For Flora Bacsó.

General mediation literature

• Tibor Kertész: Mediation in Practice - available at the Partners Hungary Foundation office!
• Barcy, M., Szamos, E. (2002) "Mediare necesse est" Mediation in societyapplication. Animula, Budapest.
• Zsuzsa Lovas - Mária Herczog (1999) Mediation, or painless conflict resolution Múzsák Kiadó
• Eörsi Mátyás - Ábrahám Zita: Litigation is bad. Minerva, n.d.
• Edited by Dr. M. Eörsi, Dr. Z. Ábrahám, Litigation is bad - Mediation: the gentle way of conflict resolution,Minerva Publishers
• Decastello Alice, Mediation in health care HVG Orac publisher Budapest.
• Kohlrieser George Hostages at the negotiating table. Conflict Resolution Masterclass, Background Publishing 2007
• Judit Bártfai Dr., Gábor Molnár Dr., Ágnes Dósa Dr., Zsuzsanna Barinkai Dr., Kálmán Gulyás Dr., Mária Herczog Dr., Éva Horváth Dr., Mária Kutacs Dr., Zsuzsanna Lovas Mediation. Mediation - extended edition - HVG ORAC
• Dr. Ilona Görgényi, Restitution in criminal law, mediation in criminal cases HVG Orac publisher Budapest.

Relevant books on divorce and family matters:

• Dr Kardos, F. (2011) Child-centred mediation. Contact mediation.Contact 2000 Psychological Betéti Társaság, Budapest.
• Together or separately. Should we stay together or separate? - Barinkai Zsuzsanna - Herczog Mária Lovas Zsuzsanna - Neményi Eszter - Rónaszéki Katalin - Complex 2002.
• Bancroft, L., Silverman, J. G., Ritchie, D. (2013) Can an abuser be a good father? The impact of partner abuse on the parent-child relationship. Background, Budapest.

Psychology-related books:

• Strasser, F., Randolph, P. (2005) Media. The psychological aspects of conflict resolution. Nyitott Könyvműhely Publishing House, Budapest.
• Gordon, T., Burch, N. (2001) Human relations. How to build it, how to destroy it. Gordon Books, Budapest.

Communication theory:

• E. A. Griffin: Introduction to communication theory. 2001/2003. L'Harmattan.
• Emőke Bagdy: Communication, empathy, conflict management. In Bagdy - Bishop Böjte - Rambala. Bishop Bishop Bishop Bishop, Bridges between bridges: empathy, communication, conflict management.
• A. Reboul-J. Moeschler: The tricks of conversation. Osiris, 2000.
• Bolton, R. The art of communication (excerpt), In: Communication Theory. Nemyrios L., Linguistics, Linguistics, Contextualization, Vol.
• Rosenberg, M. B. (2001) Words are windows or walls. Non-violent communication. Agykontroll Kft, Budapest.

School-related books:

• Lisa Delpit (2007): The children of others. Official culture and minority students. Educatio, Budapest.
• Júlia Szekszárdi (2008): New ways and means - Exercises for teaching and learning conflict management. Dinasztia Publishing House, Budapest.
• Aranka Mészáros (1997): The phenomenology of school social psychology. ELTE Eötvös Publishing House, Budapest
• Jenő Ranschburg (2001): The impact of family financial situation on children's behavioural problems
• the development of. Developmental Pedagogy. No. 6.
• Éva Sallai (1996): Can the teaching profession be taught? Veszprém University Publishing House, Veszprém.
• Éva Sallai (2005): Integration pedagogical situation exercises. Methods for the disadvantaged
• to help students succeed in school. Educatio, Budapest.
• Éva Sallai (ed., 2008): Connective experiences at school. Educatio, Budapest.
• Éva Sallai (ed., 2008): Social inequalities, the non-traditional family model, parental behaviour and child development. Educatio, Budapest.
• Imre Szitó (2003): Communication at school. ELTE Eötvös Publishing House, Budapest.
• Tahar Ben Jelloun (2003): Racism, as I explained to my daughter. House of Ulpius
• Book publisher, Budapest
• Thomas L. Good - Jere E. Brophy (2008): Open the classroom I-III. Educatio, Budapest.
• 2József Veczkó (1990):Sociocultural harms, personality disorders in childhood and adolescence
• context. In: Pedagogical and psychological foundations of child protection. Textbook publisher, Budapest.
• Anna Vörös (2004) Classroom communication, teacher-student interactions. In Katalin N. Kollár
• and Éva Szabó (eds.): Psychology for teachers. Osiris Publishing House, Budapest.
• László Zrinszky (1993): Introduction to the theory of pedagogical communication. National Textbook Publishing House, Budapest.

Report on the Partners Hungary Foundation Mediation Centre Conference on 27 October 2015 

On 27 October we held our third mediation conference this year, focusing on minors and children. This time, we wanted to know what the profession thinks about the involvement of children in mediation and what experiences mediators have had in mediating with minors. The event had a record number of participants compared to previous ones: 77.

Five presentations were given on the topic of mediation with children and young people.

• Erika Pehr is a lawyer,
• Zsuzsa Lovas Psychologist,
• Erika Magyar,
• Barbara Busai
• Julia Horváth

mediators shared their valuable experiences with the participants. On request, the presenters worked on concrete cases, and we also had the opportunity to see a live case simulation led by mediators Erika Magyar and Róbert Póli Magyar, where the audience could stop the situation and decide together how and with what mediation tools to continue the process, using the tools of forum theatre. Following the presentations, a small group dialogue panel allowed for a professional exchange of views.

Read the full report of the conference here.

Presentations

Dr. Erika Katonáné Pehr, associate professor at the PTE ÁJK, specialises in law, but mediation is his passion, he has been working on the topic for a long time. He considers it important that parents can get help to find a solution that is satisfactory for the child. Direct or indirect participation in mediation can provide information to help formulate a common interest. In addition, he stressed that, although in the case of divorce, if there is joint custody, there should not be a provision for contact, he believes that it should be necessary. The court may order mediation to ensure parental rights and to establish cooperation. There are child protection and supported mediation procedures (held by a mediator employed by TEGYESZ), the court can order both.

An important change is that from 2016 the child welfare service and the family support service will work together in one organisation. The service will be expanded, e.g. family therapy will be available in the centres. At the end of her presentation, she stressed that although mediation is not a therapy, mediators need a psychological background because divorce is a trauma that children often cannot fully recover from into adulthood.

Zsuzsa Lovas, a psychologist, mediator and head of the Lege Artis Mediation and Counselling Centre, presented a school mediation case. The mediator was approached by a parent. The conflict was manifested in a lot of absenteeism on the part of the students, unauthorised lessons, or when they were in class they did not communicate with the teacher.

The mediator first went to a class teacher's lesson to have a preparatory discussion with the class, during which he asked the students what the problem was. The students, who were considered passive by the teachers, soon relaxed and said that they were indeed missing a lot, but mainly because the teachers did not appreciate their efforts, they were booked as a bad class. They willingly agreed to mediation, for which they chose five of their own representatives. The teachers were also open, and those who either considered the class to be very problematic or were on the other side of the argument that there was no problem were included in the mediation. Teachers identified distrust of students, lack of initiative, lack of means to deal with absences as themes, and lack of communication and failure on the part of students. The teachers' need was for more attention and communication, and the students' need was also for more attention, praise and for teachers to be able to raise their interest in the subject.

No agreement was reached in the case, but the fact that mediation took place is a very important step forward. In the long term, the positive effect of mediation is that we are able to face up to our conflicts and learn to communicate with our partners.

Dr Erika Magyar a mediator, a lawyer by training and experience as a probation officer. In his recent presentation, he talked about the conciliation circle method, which he uses as an alternative to mediation in criminal cases. In a conciliation circle, the participants solve their problems, the facilitator does not give advice, but the principle is that the persons involved in the case can make a major contribution to the resolution of the conflict. The facilitator will approach the participants in advance to explain how the discussion will take place, so that the participants can concentrate fully on the process during the peace circle. One tool in the process is the talking object, a symbolic object that draws attention to an important aspect of the conflict (e.g. the peace pipe for Indians, but also a Pinocchio figurine or a Prince Charming doll for children). The person with the object has the floor, so that participants do not interrupt each other or jump between topics. The reconciliation circle is characterised by a fourfold structure: opening ceremony - prioritisation and unpacking of issues - exploration of needs - closing circle.

The specific case presented by Erika Magyar was a vandalism of a playground, which the municipality was fed up with and filed a complaint. The perpetrators included both juvenile and child offenders. Minors are not punishable, but juveniles go through a very long process in criminal proceedings (court, prosecution, probation). This was tried to be avoided by the use of a conciliation circle instead of mediation, in which parents were involved. The session required a lot of preparation to ensure that the child participants were not harmed in the process. However, Erika Magyar says that their participation was very important, as she has found that the younger the child, the sooner he or she has access to his or her own experiences. The most prominent theme brought in by the perpetrators was responsibility, which is crucial because otherwise it would not have been perceived by the children, who are under the age of criminal responsibility. Their feedback was that the biggest takeaway from the meeting was that they knew how much they had disappointed their parents and how good it was that they had the opportunity to talk it out and make amends.

Barbara Busai mediator, discussed the specialities of mediation with adolescents. She said that she likes to deal with adolescence because it is a very crucial period in life (also called the second birth in psychology) and because she has heard from experienced mediators that those who mediate well with adolescents can cope with any situation. He has a lot of background information from books on family therapy and psychology (details in the full presentation), because although mediation is not therapy, this information is very helpful in situational awareness. It is a huge challenge to treat the adolescent as a partner, there is no single recipe for this, there are only individual solutions. However, it is very important how we phrase things during the sessions, to really find a way during a mediation session to the adolescent partner to make him feel like an equal. Also, it can be a challenge for the mediator to maintain impartiality. There is a very strong risk of involvement because of the easy access to one's own experiences, so very strong internal supervision and self-awareness is required. Barbara Busai mentioned an example where one mediator introduced a form of quality assurance whereby if a dialogue or agreement could not be initiated, he would provide another opportunity free of charge - thus providing self-motivation. The issue of likeability and self-acceptance is very strong in mediation with adolescents. It is also a common experience that adolescents are difficult to involve in the process. For this, the following methodological tools from the toolbox of Ferenc Kardos are recommended:

• At the end of each content unit, the adolescent should summarise, so that you can see where you are in the process.
• Normalization: the mediator acknowledges negative emotions and declares them "normal" and understandable, which helps to maintain focus and also conveys empathy.
• If you have a separate discussion, don't send the weaker communicator out first.
• It may be helpful if the mediator expresses appreciation for the efforts of the parties in the process.

Julia Horváth an organizational psychologist, mediator and former Partners Hungary Foundation intern, is participating in mediation work at the University of New Mexico for the second time. She registered for our event via Skype. By 1995, thousands of peer mediators had been trained because previous initiatives to address school aggression had not been effective.

Dialogue panel

The presentations were followed by a dialogue panel with small group discussions around the following questions:

• As there is no standard professional protocol on the involvement of children in mediation in Hungary, how do we involve children in mediation - what are the conditions for involving children?
• What age specificities should be taken into account and what differences should be prepared for?
• How to protect children in mediation and beyond?

The results of the discussions with the facilitators have already been discussed in plenary. There was a consensus among the small groups that the child should not be involved in all cases, this is at the discretion of the facilitator. When discussing the possibilities of involvement, it is important to assess the child's state of mind, so as not to traumatise or hurt them more; whether involvement would help or hinder the process; whether to sit with the parents or separately (the latter requires the parent's consent, of course). In some countries, it is the practice either to have the child interviewed by a professional with a social or psychological qualification or to have the interview with a separate child interviewer in a physical setting appropriate to the child's age (or, in England for example, in the child's home). Participants also agreed that if the child is involved in mediation, it may be indirect (e.g. the mediator is informed of issues concerning the child through the parent). Age of involvement was considered appropriate for some participants, but it was agreed that the maturity of the child is a more important consideration than age. A key point raised was that, in order to protect the child, the process should not place the child in a decision-making situation that would place an additional burden on the child in this already very vulnerable state. The idea of child-centred mediation was also raised in several places, with the question of whether and how the mediator could represent the interests of the child and whether his or her impartiality would be compromised.

Case simulation

Experienced mediators Erika Magyar and Róbert Póli worked on a real case in which the central conflict was the relationship with the mother of a 14-year-old adolescent child. The conflict was played by Partners' staff. During the exercise, it was clear that although the situation was simulated, the conflict was real. Thanks to the tools of the forum theatre, the conference participants were able to pause the situation to decide which questions and methodological tools the mediator should continue with. Although the exercise lasted only 45 minutes, so there was no way to resolve the conflict, there was a meaningful change in the communication between the parties.

A very meaningful day, thank you to our participants! For more mediation events and news, follow us on the Partners Hungary Foundation Facebook page!

Every year, the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) organises its conference.

The prestigious institute has chosen Budapest as the venue for its European conference this year. Partners Hungary Foundation also participated in the second day of the conference.

Plenary presentations

Thursday's day John Bailey, President of the IIRP, who has introduced and facilitated the introduction of restorative practices in hundreds of struggling schools in the US. In his introduction, he stressed that working with restorative techniques is a continuous learning process, more akin to discovery. When they start working with a school, an important part of the work is to get to know the institutions and the people, in order to find together the methods that work for them. But the focus is always on community building and conflict management to repair the damage done to relationships.

For 6-12 months, they only investigate the circumstances and set up working groups in the school before they start working with the pupils. They are currently running three projects on the following topics:

• how the restorative environment at school influences risk factors (school drop-out, depression, etc.)
• how the restorative environment affects learning outcomes
• how to create a restorative environment in Pittsburgh's 50% schools.

They work to provide schools with concrete, usable tools. He also stressed that structured discussions, conferences and circle models are only effective if they help to manage conflicts outside school.

They involve ALL school staff (teachers and staff) and PTA members who come into contact with students: they believe in building a functioning and sustainable system with the participation of all stakeholders. Experience has also shown that there needs to be some kind of compulsory "push" to really encourage change, and therefore an examination at the end of the process.

Nicola Preston works with children with special educational needs in the UK. She studied restorative practices at the IIRP. In public education today, the emphasis has shifted very much towards performance - at the expense of community. The good question would be how to engage students in learning - with the help of the community. Also, there has been a surge in the number of children with special educational needs, and diagnosis plays a very important role in parents' lives to explain why their child is not performing well. While he does not deny the validity of the diagnoses, he points out that many of the students do not have a positive attitude towards learning because of the bad experiences and humiliation they have faced. Nicola Preston stresses the importance of community attachment and a positive school climate, which increase self-esteem and reduce feelings of shame, thereby improving students' academic performance.

He cited as an example a school where he taught where the proportion of children with special educational needs was 33%, which had decreased over time to 10%. Although the risk factors in the lives of the students remained, the school environment had changed, which had led to significant improvements. Neuroscience research shows that activities that evoke positive feelings in students reduce stress and anxiety and shame about learning. For this reason, social and emotional learning becomes of paramount importance, and this requires a safe and positive environment in which it can take place.

Dr Belinda Hopkins has been working with restorative techniques for twenty years. In her lecture, she emphasizes the importance of inner recognition when we realize the importance of restorative techniques and how they help us. There is great community building power in the process of forming a common story out of different individual stories. The process must always be tailored to the participants, there is no single salvation method.

He was also not afraid to mention the difficulties. There is little funding for training, and there is often a lot of resistance from teachers, often due to fear of change. He considers it important to innovate and rewrites his course material practically every year, as he is constantly learning himself. You have to be creative and learn about other people's methods. Empathy, understanding each other and listening to each other helps a lot.

Sára Tóbiás E. an aggression management psychologist, spoke about the Mérei programme. Created in 2008, the programme, prompted by the teacher beating stories, was a response to teachers' perceptions of helplessness, powerlessness and lack of support. An action plan was drawn up under the leadership of Margit Németh, with the help of experts such as Jenő Ranschburg, Pál Bilkei and Tamás Vekerdy. The programme was implemented in 168 educational institutions, mainly children's homes and primary schools. The programme included the following elements:

• Crisis line
• Training and supervision for teachers
• Tools developed for managing aggression: training DVDs on restorative techniques, personal help in putting together lesson plans. The materials and cases compiled in the teaching material were discussed by the teachers with the students.
• Own website
• Cooperation with other NGOs.

The complex institutional development programme has involved 25 institutions over two years. During this time, they trained teachers as restorative facilitators and worked with students using forum theatre techniques. They also used external facilitators, produced training DVDs, organised case conferences and supervision.

Among the difficulties, the rapporteur mentioned the teachers' resistance: it was difficult to get them to open up to the new method and it was difficult to persuade them not to try to resolve conflicts alone and without authority. Unfortunately, after two years the project came to an end, which was a short time to achieve lasting success.

However, feedback from teachers suggests that the programme has given them real tools to deal with conflicts in school, and that disciplinary meetings have been replaced by restorative conferences.

Mundrucz Anett, the head of the Green Rooster Lyceum, briefly explained the special nature of the institution to the participants. Their secondary school is attended by students who have dropped out of other schools because they have attention deficit disorder, special learning needs, very difficult circumstances and/or addiction problems. For ten years they have been working with restorative methods in student-student, student-teacher, teacher-teacher conflicts. They consider it important to treat students as equal partners and want to get to know them in order to offer them real support. A restorative approach helps students to integrate into the community and achieve better results in their studies.

Eva Fahlström works with restorative methods and psychodrama. In a Roma settlement in Pata Cluj, on the outskirts of Cluj Napoca, she is involved in community planning in the fields of education, housing, employment and health, with the help of facilitators trained by her. The ambitious objective is to overcome 700 years of mistrust between Roma and non-Roma people. A common attitude is that when they want to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged groups, they work for them rather than with them, thus undervaluing people. To illustrate this, Eva says that in Sweden alone there are more than 4,000 Romanian beggars. The Swedish government has called on the Romanian government to take action, and the Romanian government has replied that it is doing its best. However, no one asks the beggars if their children go to school, if they have health insurance or if they have tried to find work. The conversation goes over the heads of those being talked about, not with them.

Eva welcomes open conflict because it is easier to deal with disputes in the open.

The first step in the process is engagement, the second is discourse, the statement of the problem. This is followed by clarifying expectations on both sides. These three steps come up again and again as we work through the story, as we learn more and more details.

A restorative environment is in fact a space of safety and freedom of expression. It can be a source of conflict if the parties are not in the same space. One of the difficulties of project work is not to focus on the achievement of the goal, because you cannot rush ahead, it is the process that matters. And in the process, it is important to construct common stories that serve as common denominators and sustainable cooperation. The process is to break down the problem into its details until all parties are looking at the same picture. Only then can you strategise and then implement sub-goals, make mistakes and learn from them.

Workshops

During the afternoon there were more than ten short workshops to choose from. Several workshops ran in parallel during the three one-hour sessions. I ended up attending the following.

1) Nicola Preston talked about shame and stress associated with learning, which research shows slows memory and reduces learning ability. On this topic, she recommends the writings of Silvan Tomkins, John Braithwaite, Graeme George (www.tomkins.org, www.casel.org).

A shame compass is a chart showing possible reactions to shame, developed for use in school-based restorative practices.

Positive feelings are interrupted by a feeling of shame/ humiliation, and the transition from negative feelings to positive ones is provided by surprise/ shock.

We will listen to an excerpt Daniel Reisel: The neuroscience if restorative justice TED talk on how shame and stress significantly slow down memory and learning ability, so the role of social and emotional learning is huge. When stress is reduced, performance improves significantly. Education would therefore have a big role to play in creating a positive emotional and social environment in which learners can really bring out the best in themselves.

During the informal discussion, the following valuable ideas were shared by the participants:

• While diagnosing the various learning difficulties helps us to provide appropriate support to learners, it is important that these diagnoses do not become labels or stigmas, as they also generate a sense of shame.
• Involving students in the curriculum can help to improve performance, as they can feel that teachers are working with them, treating them as partners.
• It is important to teach good communication from an early age so that children avoid feelings of shame and incompetence. Indeed, a large number of residents in the juvenile detention centre have been found to have language or communication problems.
• In a school community, it is important to have a relationship that creates an atmosphere in which positive feelings can eradicate feelings of shame.
• For further reading on this topic, see Vernin C. Kelly: The Art of Intimacy.

2. Jan Ruigrok, a provocative coach from the Netherlands, came to the conference. In his workshop he tried to show that provocation can be restorative. He put together a diagram that can be used in schools to illustrate possible attitudes in the "school dance floor":

The figure shows that restorative communication is the focus of cooperation, the Thomas A. Harris causal I'm theirs or (ik=én, jij=te), which Harris developed based on Eric Berne's theory of transaction analysis. The red part is what Jan Ruigrok calls the drama triangle. The person who speaks from any of the positions in red (pursuer/threat, victim or rescuer) expects his partner to respond from these positions. The speaker says that in such cases, for example, provocation can help the speaker to move towards the green field, in which assertive, vulnerable and cautious expressions can be made. Listeners express doubts about whether the provocation of the person from whom they really expect help is well received by the parties. The speaker acknowledges that the method is a fine line and needs to be the result of a considered decision, but in his experience it has so far proved to be the right one.

The conference was very informative and inspiring, thanks to the well-prepared, experienced, professional speakers and the information provided. In addition to the experience, the participants were enriched with Ted Wachtel's book Dreaming of a New Reality, which discusses the effects and methodological tools of introducing restorative techniques in schools. The organisers have promised to make all the presentations from the conference available on their website, so it is worth following the http://www.iirp.edu/ from page.

In a professional article, the International Mediation Institute highlights the benefits of alternative dispute resolution for corporate disputes.

In 2006, the American Arbitration Association published a study of companies that consciously manage their conflicts using a so-called portfolio approach. This means that in these companies, conflicts are viewed from a broader perspective, each dispute is analysed in relation to the others, with the aim of minimising the costs, time and risk involved and preserving valuable business relationships. Companies that manage their conflicts consciously also engage in conflict prevention programmes and develop operating conditions that help prevent conflicts from arising and escalating.

Firms that make every effort to manage their conflicts consciously have a 281TTP2T higher price-to-earnings ratio than the average for public companies, and 681TTP2T higher than the least conscious firms. The results reflect the interest behind the high level of awareness to maintain good relations with all stakeholders as much as possible.

The main benefits of conscious corporate conflict management are:

• Better, stronger relationships with customers, suppliers, employees. Business partners perceive the relationship with the company as excellent.
• They value the importance of alternative dispute resolution, including its speed and clarity of process, and prefer this form of conflict resolution to litigation.
• Lower lawyer costs and greater internal efficiency.
• Better use of the resources of the corporate legal department.

In 2010, a European study was carried out on the subject, funded by the European Commission, to assess the state of alternative dispute resolution in the European Union. The study is intended to help implement the EU Mediation Directive, which has the ultimate goal of increasing the number of cross-border commercial transactions. Compared to litigation, arbitration takes less time, but still takes on average about a year. Mediation is much faster and more cost-effective.

Full article in English HERE read at

Few people in Hungary currently use the service, but it is worth it. Contact us with confidence!

Partners Hungary Foundation's March 2015 mediation conference was about effective cooperation between heterogeneous groups.

• Tibor Kertész, former trainer and mediator of Partners Hungary was our guest at our mediation workshop on 17 April 2015. He is an external mediator and former trainer of the Partners Hungary Foundation, a mentor of mediators at the Office of Justice and a lecturer at the University of Miskolc for several years.
• Tibor now lives and works in Vienna as a mediator for an international company. He has shared his experience of more than 100 training sessions and more than 2500 mediation sessions on the topic of multicultural work environments in the form of an interactive presentation and a forum theatre exercise.
• He presented case studies of corporate conflicts in which the intercultural line played a major role: the actors in the conflicts had different nationalities, religio-cultural, gender and age characteristics, which could not be overlooked in mediation, as they potentially entailed a conflict of values.

Tibor Kertész drew attention to the fact that when working with intercultural conflict, it is very important for the mediator to be aware of and consciously address the different backgrounds of the parties (ethnicity, wider socio-cultural context, age, gender, sexuality, education), the related prejudices and stereotypes, including the mediator's own prejudices. In Austria, for example, to address intercultural differences, specific Diversity Management training is also linked, which is compulsory for mediators. The mediator's sensitivity is key to moving the parties towards a solution to the conflict.

In this context, the issue of parties from different cultural backgrounds arriving with different values has been raised again. Can the conflict of values be mediated? There are several possible answers.

• The case studies have shown that in some cases the dispute may appear to be a conflict of values, but when unravelled, it may not be the result of the different backgrounds of the parties. The mediator has to deal with the different backgrounds of the parties when they affect their approach to the conflict and its resolution.
• In terms of real value conflicts, mediation can be successful if the conflict is redefined in terms of a common problem, including possible solutions. Accepting the other's point of view does not mean agreeing with it, but we can agree to disagree on certain issues, but we can still find a solution to our common issues if there is mutual respect between the parties.

A professional methodological knowledge is worth little without the training of a professional personality. We can only become good professionals with the help of others, by giving and receiving feedback. Nowadays, burnout and loss of motivation is one of the most recurrent risk factors.

Step by step roadshow in spring 2016

The event offers the opportunity to participate in workshops where participants can get an insight into the Step by Step programme. On 21 March 2016, the Kiskőrös EGYMI - Step by Step Methodology Centre - hosted the workshop day.

At the workshop, teachers from the Kiskőrös EGYMI, using the Step by Step methodology, provided up-to-date pedagogical responses to the following challenges:

• the integration of pupils with special educational needs,
• addressing various learning difficulties,
• the possibilities of individual treatment and differentiation,
• the successful education of disadvantaged children,
• increasing and maintaining motivation to learn,
• difficulties with discipline and behaviour,
• the practical application of modern learning organisation methods, procedures and methods,
• the evaluation procedures and methods.

The professional day started with demonstration sessions in the kindergarten and with demonstration lessons in the school, both in the lower and upper grades.

This was followed by an informal discussion and lunch, then Mari Zágon, the professional leader of the Step by Step programme, held an interactive workshop, where the guests could not only observe but also actively participate in the elements of the programme. The idea behind the sessions is to organise tasks around children's interests, and learning often takes place through active action. The teacher's personalised, encouraging feedback helps children to feel motivated to try the tasks again and again, and to choose for themselves what they want to improve at.
More than seventy people took part in the event: kindergarten teachers, teachers, teachers, developmental teachers, special education teachers - from 13 municipalities and 19 institutions across the country. Forums like this are rare but all the more useful, where professionals from different levels of education can meet, build relationships and learn from each other. It was a real professional workshop!

"I've seen a lot of different programmes, but this is where I really felt that they really organise the activities around children. What's surprising is how well they can get on and work together and, importantly, that the adults enjoy it too. It was a very fulfilling day. I look forward to having the opportunity to attend LL training myself!"

(Kati, teacher)

See the lesson plans, photos from the event and get inspired INSIDE.

Your Story from Gyöngyöspata programme and Women's Circle

What was the programme about?

• Our programme with the Unity in Diversity Foundation was built on two elements. Firstly, we wanted to give women in the Roma women's community the opportunity to talk about their feelings that still affect them today as a result of the involvement of the Hungarian Guard and other paramilitary organisations in the spring of 2011
• On the other hand, we allowed the importation of experts who were most in demand by the women's group.
• During the year-long programme, a weekly "Your Story" programme was launched to increase mothers' reading competence and to expand their relationship with their children, but indirectly, in the long term, to prepare them for learning, by expanding vocabulary and by using stories to enhance imagination and creativity.

On a more regular monthly basis - thematic programmes, experts brought topics to the group that aimed at community development. Our main goal is to revive from learned inertia, to promote constructive communication, to present successful Roma women's life stories in dialogue.
Group members followed the monthly events with varying motivation. Many of the young mothers were happy to be able to spend their free time in a new activity, in a lighter, sometimes more fun situation. The older age group was more interested in the practical side of things, not in pleasure but in talking out problems, in taking advantage of the opportunity to get a job. The on-site consultation of the labour counsellor was attended by 40 people hoping to receive up-to-date information on labour market opportunities. It was a great achievement that since then some of them (men) have already been enrolled in training courses.

How did we work?

1. we organised a MESÉD circle: a weekly storytelling circle of mothers with children aged 0-7 years, with 10-12 participants, organised by local coordinators. The Storytelling group was led by trained facilitators from the Roma community. The programme involved mothers reading storybooks once a week for 2 hours and then discussing the stories together. By the end of the 1-year programme, each family participating in the programme had a 36-volume "mini library".

2. women's discussion groups - large group facilitator-led sessions for all ages, held monthly - with the invitation of an expert. We invited successful Roma women as experts who could be role models for local girls and women through their life paths and identities.

• Sponsor/Source: private donor
• Private donation for own programme
• Collaborating organisations: Furugh Schwitzer, Head of the programme, Unity in Diversity Foundation
• Aid amount: 5.000.000 HUF
• Duration: June 2012 - June 2013

The REYN Romani Early Years Network Roma Early Years Network brings together professionals who work directly with Roma children or whose work focuses on Roma children (academics, non-profit organisations, etc.).

The immediate target group is experts working with children aged 0-3 years, but of course the network also includes colleagues working with older children (3-8 years) and expectant mothers. REYN is particularly keen to increase the number of Roma in the network.

The ultimate goal of REYN is to provide both Roma children and the professionals working with them with quality professional care/training. In doing so, we contribute to ensuring that Roma and/or disadvantaged children receive ever-improving quality of care and education.

What does REYN do?

• Offers free training courses on topics related to early childhood of Roma: conflict management, integration, prejudice management, cooperation with Roma parents
• organises free study visits for professionals working with young Roma children to exchange experiences both within the country and internationally
• Share and disseminate "good practices" among professionals working with Roma children
• Writes policy recommendations and makes its voice heard in forums where early childhood professionals are present, helping to raise the profile of REYN within the profession

Who does the programme help?

1. For teachers, trainers
2. For kindergarten teachers
3. For school psychologists
4. For social workers in kindergarten-school
5. For nursery nursery teachers
6. For teachers
7. For speech and language therapists
8. For community mediators working with parents
9. For nurses
10. For teaching assistants
11. For social workers in the Roma community
12. Other (e.g. children's home workers, school workers)

Results

• 800+ registered members
• Free trainings for REYN members (Two 1-1 day free trainings and three 3 day accredited trainings with 50% co-payment)
• A 1 study mapping the numbers and challenges of early childhood professionals working with Roma has been completed (http://reyn.hu/reyn-2016-tagsag-igenyfelmeres/)
• Training and labour market mentoring of five Roma nannies
• 1 policy recommendation (http://reyn.hu/szakpolitikai-ajanlas/)
• Developing an organisational network of institutions targeting young Roma children

Become a member of REYN tomorrow!

More information about the programme:

Zsuzsa László
laszlozs@partnershungary.hu

Today, more than half a million people in Hungary do not have one.

Our programme builds outdoor toilets through local collaboration and community planning.

• The statistics only record who does not have an indoor toilet, but our experience shows that tens of thousands of families also lack outdoor toilets. According to Eurostat data, 523.5 thousand people (including more than 170 thousand children) live in Hungary in homes without their own toilet. Compared to the general population, the housing situation of the Roma is significantly worse in terms of housing quality, so this problem particularly affects them.
• In 2015, we started fundraising to build 30 more outdoor toilets in Porcsalma, in addition to the 84 we had previously built. Since then, every family in the municipality has at least one outdoor toilet.

What did we do during our programme?

Of course, we know that these actions can only go a very small way to alleviate the housing problems of the poorest, but housing quality in particular is a very complex problem, and this is particularly true for families of Roma origin living in settlements or in settlement-like environments, in segregated areas. In addition to discrimination, they face a complete lack of utility infrastructure, inaccessibility to health and social services, and the fact that the abolition of housing maintenance subsidies in 2015 has made their situation even more difficult.

Together for Better Health

The lack of toilets and the resulting housing and health problems of this magnitude were not always so obvious to us. In our "Together for Better Health" project, implemented in international partnership with a Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovak partner organisation, "toilets" have become the most glaring health challenge in the municipalities participating in the programme. The aim of the international project is to promote the expansion, integration and further strengthening of mediation in health care systems, in line with the current situation in each country, through joint action to strengthen access to health care. In the Hungarian pilot project, we would like to build a bridge between the health care system and the people and communities of Roma origin living in small villages, using the methods of intercultural mediation and community planning, thus strengthening access to and use of the local health care system and promoting and practicing health-conscious lifestyles. The project also involves local health nurses, GPs, the mayor, social services staff and teachers, assisted by a locally trained Roma mediator from the local community, who is responsible for bridging the gap between the community and the institutions.

Community development

So the project is about much more than just building toilets. The action is planned by the locals in community round tables organised by the mediator. They will involve the heads of the institutions, the nurses, the family doctor and, of course, the inhabitants concerned. The local people themselves plan the purchase of the equipment, the work process and decide together on the time and place of the construction and who will do what. In other words, the local people themselves provide the wood and tools for the construction of the toilets, and the details are discussed at community round tables. Our main aim is 'empowerment', helping these people to find community solutions to help them break out of the poverty they are living in.

Read more about this!

European Network for Nonviolence and Dialogue Program

The aim of the project is to initiate a dialogue between civil society actors on the escalating social value-based conflicts and their possible solutions.

• The project aims to initiate dialogue and contribute to a constructive, non-violent resolution of these conflicts.
• As a first step, a study will be carried out on the value conflicts and good practices in each country.
• In its second phase, the programme will create a civil network of organisations active in this field. This network will fight to stop radicalisation through dialogue and campaigns.

You can read about the activities carried out under the programme, the countries involved and the number of participants here:

Info_Template_en_Network for nonviolence and dialogue

This project titled Network for Non-violence and Dialogue was co-funded by Europe for Citizens under the Strand 2: Civil Society Projects 2016 and has been implemented from 1.1.2017 to 30.06.2018. Information about the implemented activities with indicated numbers of involved countries and participants can be accessed here:

Info_Template_en_Network for nonviolence and dialogue" 

PDCS - main applicant

Partners, 7 countries: Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, HUN, Poland, Romania

Other important information:

• Project/Support Programme Name: European Network for Nonviolence and Dialogue
• Collaborating partner: Pressley Ridge Foundation http://www.pressleyridge.hu/
• Duration start/end: 01.08.2016 - 31.07.2017
• Budget amount, currency: 11.170 EUR

What is the purpose of the Community Matters programme?

We are building real cooperation between teachers and parents, who can only work well together if they have common interests and good relationships.

What do we do during the project?

We organise workshops for teachers and parents to bridge gaps, misunderstandings and overcome previous negative experiences. One of our most popular trainings is the "Parents in School" training, where we prepare parents to run different activities in their child's classroom and the teacher assists as needed. Afterwards, the parents have the opportunity to give a session in their child's classroom during a lesson:

• the parent can see the teacher's work,
• the child enjoys the involvement of his parents and becomes proud of his parents,
• and joint preparation brings the teacher and parent closer together.

Within the framework of the project, there is the possibility of mini project organised by teachers and parents using the basics of community planning. They spend a lot of time together in the planning and organising process, which helps them to get to know and accept each other even better, and to discover each other's values.

After each session, teachers write an essay about their experience. Similar essays are also written after family visits. From the essays and the experiences of the last 3 years manual on other aspects of teacher-parent cooperation. Family visits are designed into the project based on the needs of the teachers.

"I thought I was going to visit a middle-class Roma family because they always kept the children so nice and clean and the parents were very nice too. I was surprised to see a poor Roma family, and they were very clean. I was honoured to be allowed into their home, they welcomed me with great love. At the beginning they were nervous and so was I, but then we relaxed and found a lot of common ground. It was quite different to talk in this setting than in a reception, and somehow since then it has been even easier to work with both the parents and my little student. "

• Our "Community Matters" project has been running for 4 years in Nyírbátor, supported by the Foundation Open Institute for the 2019-2020 academic year. Our grant is 15000 USD.
• Over the years, we have enjoyed a very positive cooperation with the Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary School and Primary Art School in Nyírbátor. The openness of the school's management has greatly contributed to the success of our project.

What happened in 2020?

In March 2020, schools switched to a digital timetable due to the Crown virus. This change is not necessarily easy, even in places where everyone has their own devices at home and is familiar with using different programmes. And where families are not well versed in the world of apps and the internet, it is particularly important to join forces and support.

Together with parents and Roma mediators, we are working together to gather the most relevant information and make it available to all stakeholders. The Roma mediators, who are parents themselves, have created a Facebook group together with the teachers, where all stakeholders are invited, first to have a common platform to exchange information. There is a lot of activity in the group, with questions followed by questions. "How to upload a picture in chalk, do you know? Where do the children have to go for lunch or do they drop it off for us?"

What happens in 2021?

In Nyírbátor, we continue to work with parents through the Storytelling Mothers (MesÉd) programme. A programme aims to break down the disadvantages caused by social exclusion and feelings of inferiority. We organise group meetings for Roma mothers in difficult circumstances, currently in Nyírbátor, so that they can experience the joy of reading a story and pass it on to their children. The method is the brainchild of sociologist Furugh Switzer. The programme was also conducted online during the outbreak of the coronavirus through the Zoom app, thanks to a previous programme that had built parents' trust in us and provided them with smart devices and internet access, as well as training in the use of the different apps - so they were able to engage in digital education during the outbreak, reducing drop-outs.

Local mums have made an amateur video to capture for themselves what happens in a MESED session and have given us permission to publish it. Have a look for yourself!

Child-centred education through the Step by Step programme

A Step by step (LL) kindergartens and schools are places where children learn naturally, joyfully, through experiences and experiences. Teachers organise learning and classrooms so that children learn the mindsets and skills they need for a happy life in a safe and inspiring environment. Children love going to nursery, school and learning.

What is the aim of the Step by Step programme?

Autonomy, openness, cooperation, critical thinking, creativity and interest in the world are qualities that will help us to face the challenges of the future, both at individual and societal level. We foster these in children in their everyday lives. Children work on projects, so that they can make the subjects real-life by solving a topic or problem. A Step by step groups and classes will start and end the day with a discussion group. Positive reinforcement and encouragement are the driving forces for progress, and teachers place particular emphasis on this. Assessment serves to reinforce individual development; children assess themselves and their peers.

Teachers work in partnership with parents. There are no traditional parent meetings, but there are regular discussions, parent forums and joint activities. Parents are free to visit the school and kindergarten. Parents know what is happening in the school, teachers know what is happening in the family.

There are children who are born in places, for example in slums, where there are no good schools within reach and their families cannot give them the support they need to have a good job as adults and access services that the very poor cannot. A Step by step programme in places where we create opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to participate in quality education. LL is a way for children from different backgrounds to grow up together, learning from each other, about each other and about the world. The teachers provide the background for this by ensuring that each child is given tasks appropriate to his or her abilities, age and current condition, and receives individual development.

What do we do in our Step by Step programme?

Today they operate in 29 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia Step by step institutions that enable children to become useful and creative members of a democratic society through active learning. The organisations involved in disseminating the programme are International Step by Step Association (International Step by Step Association) brings them together and provides them with the opportunity to innovate, learn from each other and implement joint programmes.

In Hungary, teachers interested in the programme are taught how to put it into practice by trainers who themselves teach using this method. The new method is also introduced step by step. It is important that all teachers go at their own pace, in cooperation with children and parents. The trainers are also there to mentor teachers who want to use the method. In the country, there are schools in Miskolc, Pécs and Kiskőrös that are model institutions. This is where the trainers teach and where the future trainers can come to observe Step by step educators. Methodological centres regularly organise workshops for practising and future LL teachers, where they can learn from each other and share successes and stumbling blocks to change.

If you want to introduce it in your kindergarten or school, contact us!

What is the purpose of Tempus EFFEKT?

The project, a partnership between Finland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, the UK, Ireland, Hungary and Latvia, aims to create and test a European methodological framework that helps teachers to learn from each other and from each other's practice. It also aims to help education policymakers to think about systems that incorporate collaborative learning into vocational training.

We also aim to create, with our international partners, a European a professional and methodological framework, in which we will collect and share existing innovative practices and tools related to the theme of collaborative learning with teachers. The professional and methodological framework will provide actors at different levels of education (teachers, school leaders, parents, students, teacher trainers, policy makers, etc.) with tools and methods to implement and develop collaborative learning at school, local, regional and national (system) level.

What do we do in the project?

In the Finnish, Latvian, Czech, British, Irish, Hungarian, Latvian and Czech partnerships (ERASMUS K3), theorists and academic researchers are working on the development and evaluation of the framework, which we at Partners are practical testing we participate in.

39 teachers from Mezőfalva, Mohács and Kiskőrös participated in the training of the Kiskőrös Step by Step Methodological Centre in the summer of 2016. They are members of the collaborative learning group. They visited each other, observed and evaluated each other's work in order to be able to teach more effectively in the Using a step-by-step method. 

The most important thing for them in the programme is that they are not alone in making change, in introducing change. One of the participating teachers said at the August 2017 meeting that this is how you should always start the school year, because it gives you energy and ideas for a fresh start.

What is the purpose of the E.On Power Plant Roundtable?

The round table - unique in the country - is invitation-only dialogue forum, initiated by Uniper Hungary Kft (E.ON Erőművek Kft.) in 2007, when they built a power plant in Gönyű. The company's experience has shown that it is much easier to deal with possible public opposition and misunderstandings through open communication and dialogue.

How does it work?

Initially, the forum was only planned for the duration of the investment, but it was so successful and the feedback from participants was so positive that the company decided to continue the forum. As a result, it has been a successful forum for 10 years now, where all parties have a voice, a space to speak, questions and answers.

The aim of the Round Table is to establish and maintain a long-term, regular dialogue on the Gönyű power plant between representatives of the local community and the plant operator. This is an exemplary process, where the voice of the local community counts on an important issue that affects them.

What do we do during the roundtables?

We convene and facilitate regular public forums and roundtables, where representatives of the public and the company operating the power plant can exchange information on current events and issues around the plant.

What are the results?

Local residents have regular access to information about the plant and its operation, and the plant's management can answer questions and concerns from the public, organisations and institutions. All of this leads to building and maintaining mutual trust.

The work of the Roundtable is organised and managed by Partners Hungary as an independent party, which is important because. an external, impartial facilitator with expertise in conflict resolution provides a credible framework for partner communication.

More information about the programme:

István Herbai
histvan@partnershungary.hu

János Wagner
wagner@partnershungary.hu

What is the purpose of the PHASE prgramme?

The pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) ran a programme called Personal Hygiene & Sanitation Education (PHASE) from 1998-2016 to reduce the number of illnesses caused by sanitation and hygiene problems among children and their families living in poverty.

The project uses games to teach children basic hygiene methods, such as handwashing. A key element of the programme is to empower parents, through the children, to improve their living conditions.

• The project has so far been launched in the developing world, but it has become clear that there is a great need for it in Europe too. This is why GSK has decided to launch PHASE in European countries where it operates the health mediation project "Together for a better health - for us, by us".
• The aim of the pilot project, launched in 2012, is to introduce Roma (intercultural) mediators into the health care system in Hungary, thus helping disadvantaged - including over-represented Roma - people to access health services and to promote health-conscious lifestyles.
• In the international partnership, a Roma inclusion non-profit organisation from Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary is working with GSK's local organisations to implement these projects.

What have we done during PHASE?

The Partners Hungary Foundation has undertaken to produce the necessary tools for handwashing and toilet use, which will be distributed to the institutions in the framework of another project (REYN). In the framework of this project, a storybook and a professional manual were produced, as well as a card game, which was used by kindergarten teachers and nurses to teach children about the correct use of toilets.

The programme can be perfectly linked to the work already done by existing intercultural mediators. The related programme also aims to improve access to health services for disadvantaged people, especially Roma, and to promote health-conscious lifestyles.

About similar projects HERE and HERE you can read.

• Project/Support Programme name: Personal Hygiene and sanitation education
• Supporting organisation: GlaxoSmithKline Ltd.
• Duration start/end: october 2015 - october 2017.
• Budget amount, currency: 6.000.000 HUF

Engaging Roma communities for more liveable communities

What is the aim of the ROMED programme?

A cooperation with Roma communities is a challenge for many mayors.

The vast majority of the marginalised and segregated community live in extreme poverty on the fringes of towns and villages. The situation is seen as a problem by most people on all sides, due to a lack of trust and accumulated bad experiences; there is no or conflicting relationship between the Roma community and the local administration, no real dialogue.

The Partners Hungary Foundation offers local authorities a tried and tested methodology and toolset - in more than 50 European and dozens of Hungarian municipalities, which strengthens dialogue and cooperation between communities, local institutions and the municipality. As a result reduce tensions and start working together to solve local problems. This is intercultural mediation.

What do we do during ROMED?

The methodology is based on the Council of Europe's ROMED programme, complemented by the Partners Hungary Foundation's more than 20 years of experience in the field of Roma inclusion.

An intercultural mediator is an accepted member of the local Roma community who gains skills in conflict resolution and community planning through the training of Partners.

From a Local Community Action Group (LAG) is set up with the help of an intercultural mediator. Members of the group discuss community problems and discuss them with representatives of local institutions, local decision-makers work together to develop and, depending on resources, implement possible solutions.

The programme is low-cost, easy to adapt, the results of successful cooperation can be tangible within a year, and in the long term it contributes to the development of local society, the cohesion of local communities and the strengthening of social cohesion.

What are the results?

• In the municipality of Gyulaj more than 20 houses renovated in Kalaka by the local communityi Action Group. Bathrooms have been built in some homes, water has been installed in some, several households have been sanitised and a sterile room has been constructed, thanks to the community and local partnerships.
• Salt room built in the kindergarten building in Nagydobos, which is used by the population of the municipality, in addition to children, to relieve and prevent respiratory diseases.
• In the city of Nagyecsed, living in a segregated area the Roma community now runs and successfully maintains a civil society organisation, which strengthens the links between Roma parents and schools and offers meaningful activities for young people. Previously, 30 outdoor toilets were built. Through community collaboration, bins were purchased and regular garbage collection was arranged.
• In Nyírbátor, in the framework of municipal cooperation, from own resources launched targeting Roma and people living in extreme poverty school scholarship and employment programme.
• In Jászfényszaru, the local government, with the involvement of the Community Action Group, launched a housing renovation programme.
• More than 100 outdoor toilets built in Porcsalma and a blood pressure and blood sugar monitoring point was set up in the community centre.

What is the aim of the programme?

The aim of the programme is to support the disadvantaged and isolated Roma population improving access to health services, and the raising health awareness in these communities.

Intercultural mediators are the voice of the local community, signalling needs and difficulties, which they help to address through community collaboration and municipal support. The objective of the pilot project, launched in 2012, is to bring intercultural mediators into the health care system in Hungary. as facilitators to carry out their work, thus improving access to health services for disadvantaged people, especially Roma, and promoting health-conscious lifestyles. The mediators are "bridge" between the care system and the community. The work of mediators is supported by local and external expertsin all cases beyond a Community Action Team also helps.

The project in Hungary is a big one, four countries as part of an international project with the support of GlaxoSmithKline Unlimited (GSK). The project works in international partnership in Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, with Roma inclusion non-profit organisations working with GSK's local organisations. The international partnership provides an excellent opportunity to learn from each other's achievements.

What do we do during the project?

In the four countries, four different projects are being implemented in response to local specificities, with the following common features improving access to health and promoting health awareness, for the trained health mediators with the participation of.

The Hungarian pilot project focuses on the dissemination of the intercultural mediation method.Between 2015 and 2017, Roma mediation as a profession defined the specificities of the profession and its training needs.

In addition, in several municipalities each year (in total over the 7-year programme cycle 20 municipalities) municipal mini-project with the involvement of the local Roma population.

With local professionals and representatives of the Roma community we reveal local health problems, and on this basis we base the municipal mini-projects, which are always professionals and community members together are implemented.

What are the results?

At the municipal level:

• 130 Roma mediator training (including the Health Assistants of the Primary Care Model Programme)
• for 60 women contraceptives spiral insurance
• Health painting of 70 family houses (Nagyecsed, Nagydobos, Gyulaj)
• 1 pc sterile room, a mother of a family on dialysis, with the help of the volunteer work of the Community Action Group
• Several hectares of firewood collecting for needy families in cooperation between the forestry, the municipality and the Community Action Group
• Construction of 70 outdoor toilets (Nagyecsed, Porcsalma)
• Construction of 1 covered bus stop in cooperation with local government representatives, civil society and KACS (Pécs)
• 50 persons health screening
• 50 Health education 800 for school children
• 6 health day (Nagydobos, Nagyecsed, Borsodnádasd)
• 11 litter picking actions (Nyírbátor, Nagydobos, Nagyecsed, Pécs, Onga) with the participation of 180 community members
• 1 salt room (Big Drum)
• Total 1500 Roma mediator interventions addressing community problems at local level between 2013 and 2019
• reaching 6300 people in need health services
• Mobilising the Roma community 12 times in cooperation with local health professionals (midwives, general practitioners)
• 200 times collaborative planning involving Roma community members, Roma mediators, local institutional representatives and decision-makers
• Cockroach extermination
• Washroom creation (Borsodnádasd)
• School Toilet renovation (Arló)
• Playground renovation (Hernádkak, Hernádnémeti)

At national level:

• Cooperation with the Swiss Fund supported by the With the Model Primary Care Programme
• 11 Roma mediator training
• 12 Roma mediator network meeting
• 1 Roma mediator Website created: romamediator.hu
• 6 mediation awards (2016, 2017)
• 1 Roma mediator conference, 100 participants (government, municipal representation, Roma mediators, KACS members, Council of Europe, press)
• DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) vocational training development and implementation of the process

• 1 online questionnaire which was completed by 45 health professionals, social workers, Roma inclusion specialists and Roma mediators
• 80 Roma mediation activities analysis of, proofreading involving Roma and non-Roma experts

Check out on our videos and Through the example of Jászapátihow we work!

In the community roundtable discussions, we looked at what the Roma community needed support with, based on local needs: this was helped by the intercultural mediators, the trained coordinators of the local Roma community. We managed to work together with the municipality to ensure that each household had hygienic waste collection and wheelie bins.

Girls in science

What is the purpose of Project POWER?

Raising awareness among students, teachers and parents about the importance of science, with a particular focus on encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers, as they are still under-represented in this field.

The elements of the programme included:

• developing competences related to engineering and science through innovative tools,
• strengthen business English communication,
• increase personal effectiveness
• students have the opportunity to observe and learn about different professions and career paths and gain personal experience.

The programme was encouraged to

• more girls to choose a career in science or engineering,
• a science competences of secondary school students, interpersonal skills and English language skills.
• enable teachers to develop professionally, to help secondary school students, especially girls, to choose a career through their own experiences.

What have we done during PROJECT POWER?

We worked initially with four and then two secondary schools on the projectwho have applied to participate in the programme

• Students in the programme participate in in-school and extra-curricular development activities to improve their scientific competences, interpersonal skills (assertive communication, presentation) and English language skills.
• Students get support to choose a career, gain insights into science-related careers through company visits and job shadowing.
• Teachers have the opportunity to renew their methodologies and exchange experiences.
• By involving parents in certain project elements are brought closer to school life and made aware of the importance of science and technology careers and how to support their daughters in choosing them.

What are the results?

• 1000 students and 60 teachers were involved in the programme and in some project elements
• 300 students took part in a careers class
• 200 students worked on a school project within the framework of the programme
• The intensive small-group science and IT development in the programme has made a major contribution to the development of the three schools' students' for outstanding competitive performances:
• Lakeside High School and Secondary School of Arts: national third place in an international mathematics competition
• Rudas Secondary School and College of Economics: place in junior engineering competition
• Comenius girls' team: international first place in forest engineering competition.
• Joint school workshop, where both students and teachers could get to know more about spectacular and interesting STEM-related activities: experiments and logic games
• The local media have given the programme a high profile and are happy to report on the events of the programme (10 articles in local written media, 1 television appearance)
• 10 video interviews with female researchers/engineers

Other important information:

• Supporting organisation: the Arconic Foundation, USA
• Project ID at the donor:222792
• Partners collaborating in the project:

Arconic Köfém Kft. Székesfehérvár

Tóparti High School and Secondary Art School, Székesfehérvár

Rudas Secondary School and College of Economics, Dunaújváros

• Duration start/end: 27 December 2016 - 27 December 2017
• Budget amount, currency: 36 000 $

As we have reported several times, Partners Polska Foundation, with the support of the Visegrad Fund, organised a one-day conference in Warsaw in October 2016. The theme of the conference was "The role of the Visegrad countries in solving the migration crisis". A few minutes from the conference: