Conclusions

Last year, we advocated a global, quantitatively different response, designed to promote the development of interpersonal relations and learning to live in harmony. We were seeking a response that would lessen the affective distance between adolescents and adults in educational settings.

Now that the Hippokrates Project has been completed, we can say that we have also lessened the distance between the far reaches of Europe thanks to the participation of cities such as Tallinn, Alicante, Seville, Bedfordshire, Lisbon, Malmo and Vall d’Aosta. Each of us has influenced and been influenced by the others. We were surprised at how much we have in common as regards conflict in schools, and have learned from each partner’s specific circumstances and how they are handled.

With the helpf of the experts who have participated in the project, we have come to better understand the complexity of violent behavior as a means of communication.

We have also expanded our support network: police, parents, judges and social services professionalas together with more teachers and therapists participated in the project’s activities this year. The project’s websssite has been visited by more than 4500 people from all around the world, and many collaborators wish to continue working and promoting new activities. New types of intervention have been implemented and shared by schools and therapeutic and social services.

Clearly, the Hippokrates Project has been a good instrument for connecting professionals from a variety of fields and several different countries. Together we have developed materials and good practices that will help orient those who are just beginning to work with adolescents.

Perhaps these efforts have put us on the path to getting closer to young people (which is what they asked for last year), using different strategies that will lessen their dependence on violent behavior.

In any case, what is true is that after two years of sharing concerns, realities and proposals with the project partners, we consider ourselves members of a community of ideals and interests that can confront shared problems and promote effective solutions. Perhaps even more importantly, we have realized that when faced with problems such as the ones we have analyzed during this Project, we know we are not alone: the European Union is with us.

So, in today’s Europe, our Europe, we can try to prevent the type of serious conflict that touches us all. Violence in school is but one example.