Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the VISIONARIES-NET project?

The VISIONARIES-NET project – a co-operation of experts from Germany, France, Spain and Romania - brings together persons engaged in violence prevention in school and aims to making them learn from one another. This will be realised by conducting online conferences with experts and practitioners as well as by initiating the formation of an International online community on violence prevention in schools that builds on the VISIONARY portal the precursor project of this project.

Further information about the VISIONARIES-NET project

What are the objectives of the conference?

This second online conference of the VISIONARIES-NET project will focus on the question how local/regional authorities – like for instance cities, regions . – can contribute to tackling school bullying and violence.

We want to find out more about …

• the ways local authority can help when tackling school bullying and violence can help when tackling school bullying and violence
• capacities, benefits, challenges and limits of the local action
• intercultural similarities and differences between local resources in various States

We would like to give the participants the unique opportunity …

• to meet others who also develop local strategies on school bullying and violence
• to find out more about approaches and ideas from other parts of the world
• to learn and profit from others who deal with the same problems and challenges
• to network with experts from other countries and cultures

What topics will be discussed?

Our conference will focus on the following four main topics:

Week 1: The involvement of local authorities in school bullying and violence (SBV)

-          Competences, definition, actors…

-          Diagnosis, institutionalized partnership, budgets…

Weeks 2 and 3: The actions set up by or involving local authorities on SBV

2. Information campaigns and training education civic
3. Conflict resolution and mediation

For each action, we will discuss: the background, the objectives of the action, the coalition, the strategy, the involvement of each actors (parents, children, professors, Justice, Police…) and the evaluation.

Week 4: The identified obstacles and gasps, the expectations and suggestions (in your city, as well as at a national and European level)

For details please compare the conference`s schedule.

When will the conference start and end?

The conference will start on October 24^th and will be open until November 18, 2005. During this time the conference will be open from Monday to Friday. It is still possible to participate in the week-end time, but without assurance to have a answer. 

How much time will be necessary to participate?

The time you allocate to the conference mainly depends on you and your interests. You are very much invited to visit and to contribute to our conference on a daily basis but you don`t have to.

Do I need special software or hardware and informatics’ skills to participate?

No, you don’t need specific hardware of software to participate nor than any informatic’s skills. Handling the forum of the conference is very easy and all the moderators are here to help you in case.

Do the participants need to be connected at the same time?

We have chosen the form of an asynchronous conference as the participants will come from different continents and time zones. With a timeframe of four weeks we want to make sure that it is flexible enough for you to drop in and contribute to the forum whenever you want.

Is there any fee for participating at the conference?

No. The participation is free of charge.

What are my benefits from participating?

We assume that you will profit in many ways from participating at our conference. Amongst others you will …

• meet people from other countries and cultures
• learn more about these people`s projects, their experiences and visions
• become aware of similar challenges, limits and problems faced by other practitioners
• learn more about innovative ideas and approaches on school bullying and violence prevention
• share experience and information about similar projects
• contribute to further research on school bullying and violence
• have the chance to be part of an International network that sustains the conference

Who can attend this conference?

Persons who deal with school bullying and violence prevention at the local/regional level as a part of their professional life or their personal commitment.

Is there a maximum number of participants?

Yes, the number of participants will be limited to 30.

Can I invite representatives, from other local authorities or from mime, I know they could be interested?

Yes, you can as long as the maximum number participants does not exceed 30.

From which countries will the participants come from?

We will invite participants from different continents and cultures worldwide such as the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan and many other countries.

Can I contact other participants?

Yes, of course. It is one of the objectives of the conference to network experts and to facilitate contacts between the participants of our conference.

What will be the language of the conference?

The conference will be held in English. Nevertheless, it’s no problem when your English is not perfect. In our International team we don’t have native English speakers so that we are more than tolerant towards mistakes you make. We assume that our English will certainly be not without mistakes and hope for your understanding as well … ;-)

Will there be assistance in other languages as well?

Yes, our International team will be happy to assist you in Spanish, French, German and Romanian. We won't translate all the content of discussion in other languages, nor the summaries of discussions. We are very please to provide you some indicative information about first steps in other languages.

Who will moderate the conference?

The main moderators of the conference will be

Agnes Pradet and Elizabeth Johnston 

(European Forum for Urban Safety, France)

They will be assisted by

Thomas Jäger and Urban Lissman
(Center of Educational Research of the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany)

Prof. Rosario Ortega & Dr. Joaquín Mora-Merchan
(University of Cordoba and the University of Seville, Spain)

Oana Mateescu, Gabriela Buleu & Lucian Branea
(Concept Foundation, Romania)

All moderators are experienced with different aspects of school bullying and violence, are available for questions and happy to assist you within the conference. As all partners co-ordinate national sections of the European portal VISIONARY on school bullying and violence prevention (http://www.violence-in-school.info) they are familiar with the challenges of offering Internet resources on the issue.

Where can I find updated information about topics and the conference’s schedule?

On this conference site, the conference schedule as well as a section for news and announcements will inform about current and the next topics to be discussed, times when moderators will be present, new summaries of discussions etc.

Are there any products resulting from the conference and how will they be used ?

This conference will be the second of five online conferences we will hold with the VISIONARIES-NET project. The outcomes of all conferences will be published as an e-book that summarises the conferences outcomes.

As a participant of our conference you will be very much invited to publish this e-book and other outcomes resulting from our conference.

Will there be further conferences?

Yes, as mentioned above the conference for representatives local /regional authorities on school bullying and violence is the second of five online conferences we will hold with the VISIONARIES-NET project.

The other three conferences will address to the following target groups:

• persons engaged in violence prevention at school level,
•  journalists,
• researchers

You will find updated news on our further conferences at www.violence-in-school.info

Can I participate at several conferences?

Yes, as long as you belong to one of the target groups we invite for each of our conferences – for instance when you are a teacher, a journalist, a researcher etc. – you can participate at other conferences as well.

Further questions and answers and update of FAQs

If you have further questions related to our online conference please don`t hesitate to contact us at visionary@zepf.uni-landau.de

This FAQ list will be updated and extended by further questions we receive from you.