“The issue of peer violence requires a comprehensive and systematic approach, which includes continuous empowerment of professionals in the education sector, especially psychological-pedagogical services,” was one of the conclusions from today’s training organized by the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) in Kolašin on the topic of prevention and intervention in cases of peer violence.
Under the expert guidance of psychologist Tamara Milić, 23 pedagogues and psychologists from primary and secondary schools in the Northern part of Montenegro worked on developing key skills and competencies to recognize peer violence and effectively address this problem, contributing to a safer educational environment and society as a whole.
“Workshops like these are of great importance for psychological-pedagogical services, and in the coming period, a greater number of similar programmes should be planned for parents, so that all participants in the educational process are equally involved and engaged in solving the problem of peer violence. Consideration should also be given to integrating cross-curricular areas and the topic of peer violence into regular curriculums, so that subject teachers emphasize prevention in their classes. This way, we would not wait for violence to occur; students would be daily informed on how to recognize and prevent violence, whom to approach if they notice it or if they themselves are victims,” stated Ivana Vukašinović, pedagogue at “Tanasije Pejatović” Gymnasium in Pljevlja, who participated in today’s training.
“Education of students, teachers, and parents is key in preventing peer violence. Through workshops and training like these, we have the opportunity to directly learn about the challenges and problems we face in different environments, as well as possible solutions. The school environment can be significantly improved, contributing to the reduction of violence among students,” shared her impressions Ljiljana Bulajić, coordinator of the team for preventing peer violence at the Secondary Mixed School in Andrijevica.
Tamara Milić, psychologist and trainer at the workshop, believes that society has the wrong approach by placing the greatest focus on children and labeling them as the main perpetrators of violence. “Any child who exhibits undesirable forms of violence or a child who suffers something unpleasant has causes in some early experience, modeled behavior. This shows that a child with such behavior comes and communicates through that behavior because it is certain that they have experienced the same, either as a participant or a witness. Therefore, attention should be paid to how the family functions, how and in what way the child communicates, long before such behaviors occur, and whether they withdraw. Even in a child who suffers violence, it is very often a learned behavior model from the family – to be silent, to endure, and the like,” she explains.
The training is part of the project HEART: Support for Empowerment and Resilience of Youth Today, funded by the EU Delegation in Montenegro and co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration.