Prevention of cyberbullying and peer violence among youth

In the digitally-transformed landscape intensified by Covid-19, youth interaction patterns are evolving. Digital platforms, while fostering community, also unveil challenges like cyberbullying, es...

- Empower youth workers and peer educators/leaders among marginalised youngsters for prevention of cyberbullying and peer violence among youth, through development of inspiring and innovative Curriculum, LTTA and the Online course for youth workers’ training. - Empower marginalised, discriminated and bullied youngsters in coping mechanisms and dealing with cyberbullying and peer violence, through innovative Toolkit with workshops for vulnerable youngsters. - Exchange good practices and further develop quality strategic partnership among partners from 3 European countries with different realities in regards to cyberbullying and youth peer violence prevention.

The project was rolled out methodically, with clear timelines and distinct activity types. Kick-off Phase: M1 - kick-off project meeting (01-2022): This transnational project meeting laid the foundation for the entire project, ensuring everyone was on the same page and establishing the direction moving forward. Development & Collaboration Phase: O1 - Toolkit (02-2022 to 08-2022): A comprehensive toolkit was developed to educate and support youngsters, peer educators, and leaders in preventing cyberbullying and peer violence. M2 - second project meeting (06-2022): This transnational meeting served to assess the progress after the toolkit's development. O2 Curriculum (07-2022 to 11-2022): A curriculum aimed at empowering youth workers and peer leaders to prevent face-to-face peer violence was introduced. M3 - third project meeting (12-2022): A review meeting to gauge the project's progression after the curriculum's introduction. Digital Transformation & Training Phase: O3 - Online Course (12-2022 to 05-2023): This initiative transitioned the curriculum into a digital platform, making it accessible to a wider audience. It aimed at enhancing youth worker skills, emphasising cyberbullying prevention. C1 Training of Trainers (06-2023): Specialised training for trainers to ensure effective dissemination of prevention techniques against cyberbullying and peer violence. Public Engagement & Dissemination Phase: E1, E2, E3 Open Conferences (07-2023 to 08-2023): Series of multiplier events held in RS, HR, and DE respectively, focusing on raising public awareness and engaging stakeholders on the subject of cyberbullying and peer violence prevention. Conclusive Phase: M4 – Final evaluation project meeting (08-2023): This transnational meeting served as a wrap-up, evaluating the project's impact, successes, and areas of improvement. This systematic approach ensured a thorough and holistic addressing of the challenges faced by youth in terms of cyberbullying and peer violence, and the capacity-building of youth workers to tackle the same.

Intellectual Outputs: O1 Toolkit: Purpose: A comprehensive resource to aid youngsters and peer educators/leaders in identifying, addressing, and preventing aggressive behaviours among youth. Components: Theoretical concepts and methodologies for quality prevention. A set of 10+ workshops targeting cyberbullying and peer violence prevention. O2 Curriculum: Purpose: A 7-day training material focused on empowering youth workers and peer leaders to counter face-to-face peer violence. Components: Detailed session outlines, annexes, and additional recommendations for multiplication / facilitation. O3 E-learning course: Purpose: A digital resource focused on cyberbullying prevention, aimed at youth workers and aspirant peer educators/leaders. Accessibility: Designed for widespread reach, being free and easily available globally. All the above intellectual outputs are available in English, German, Croatian, and Serbian, catering to multiple countries where these languages are official. Direct Results: Utilisation of Outputs: 15 multipliers across partner organisations utilised the intellectual outputs during their youth work. In this way also testing for its efficacy both at a personal and organisational level, aiming to refine processes and practices in youth-related activities. 90 youngsters (30 per country) benefited directly from these outputs through the actions of these multipliers. Youth Trainer Empowerment: 11 youth trainers participated in the Learning Teaching Activities (LTTA) and are subsequently empowered to educate other youth workers and peer leaders. Post-project, these trainers will organise smaller training sessions in their native organisations, thereby indirectly benefitting another 20-30 youth workers who will be equipped to use the project’s outputs in their daily activities. Local Impact: 84 local multipliers/youth workers across three countries empowered during the multiplier events. The focus was on accentuating the significance of youth work in averting cyberbullying and peer violence, and ensuring the necessary support structures are in place for at-risk youth. In sum, the project not only produced valuable, multilingual resources for the prevention of cyberbullying and peer violence but also ensured the empowerment of a significant number of youth workers, trainers, and multipliers, amplifying its impact across multiple countries.