German project activities
euro peers
Further Information
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The project 'euro peers – Ways to improve life skills' was concluded in December 1997 with the production of a manual (Basics, Materials, Country Reports and Scientific Evaluation). The demand for the manual from professionals was so great that it is now out of print. It is planned to publish a revised new edition in the first six months of 2005.
In 2003, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe transferred the model to the Russian Federation on behalf of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with the city of Aachen and the Diakonisches Werk der Ev. Kirche im Rheinland.
Professionals from four Russian cities (Kostroma, Nishnij Novgorod, Samara and Vologda) were trained in two workshops by our Latvian network colleague, Solvita Lazdina. The practical implementation in the individual cities was supported with coaching programmes and documentation.
euro parents
In 2004, based on the positive experience had with using peer group education in working with parents during the course of the project, the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe decided to issue a manual tailored to national knowledge and experiences in cooperation with the Diakonisches Werk in the church district of Herford. The Parents have influence manual was published in July 2004.
Interested professionals receive the manual as part of advanced training programmes in which they are familiarised with the techniques and methods used in peer group education in parental work. The advanced training organised in 2004 was very well received. Such activities have also been welcomed at the political level. Therefore two other transfer events have been organised for 2005.
euro youth
In 2004, on completion of the euro peers project, the professionals in the Russian Federation were also taught the methods of peer group education in out-of-school youth work. This was also organised on behalf of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with the city of Aachen and the Diakonisches Werk der Ev. Kirche im Rheinland. Jürgen Einwanger from Innsbruck, Austria, acted as trainer for the one-week training course in Kostroma in the Russian Federation. In addition to the four cities from the first project (Kostroma, Nishnij Novgorod, Samara and Vologda), the city of Stadt Rostow am Don was also involved.
In 2005, a practice-based manual for peer group education in out-of-school youth work was produced in cooperation with the Fachstelle für Suchtprävention des Caritasverbandes für den Kreis Coesfeld Caritasverband für den Kreis Coesfeld (Addiction Prevention Centre of the Coesfeld District Caritas Association). A particular feature of this national concept is the cooperation between youth and addiction care services, without which it would not be possible to implement the measures.
Similar to the euro parents sub-project, a training series was conducted in 2005 to further the use of the approach (and the manual) in practice.
Peer work in general
At the Specialist Conference of the Deutsche Hauptstelle für Suchtfragen (DHS – German Central Office for Addition Matters) in November 2004, the network’s peer work was presented in a forum for professionals from the addiction care and prevention sector. Around 850 people took part in the conference in Bielefeld, which is the largest national event concerned with prevention.
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