Pupils in two Scottish schools will be trained to intervene and prevent violence under a new VRU project.

 

Youngsters at Portobello High School, Edinburgh, and the joint campus of St Stephen’s and Port Glasgow High, Inverclyde, will take part in the project which encourages people to challenge aggressive and inappropriate behaviour. The two schools were selected for their enthusiasm for the project rather than any particular problems.

 

The project, MVP (Mentors in Violence Prevention) Scotland, is modelled on a programme used in schools, universities and armed forces training facilities across the USA. It uses a “bystander” approach, encouraging people to take a stand against harassment, abuse and violence rather than just ignoring it.

 

30 people from each school will be initially trained – a mix of teachers, youth workers and community members. They will then pass their knowledge on to specially recruited “peer mentors” – youngsters in their fourth, fifth and sixth years of school – who will in turn pass their knowledge on to other pupils.

 

If successful, the project, which is supported by the Scottish Government, could be rolled out nationwide following evaluation.

 

Chief Inspector Graham Goulden, who is leading the project on behalf of the VRU, said:

 

“We want to give young people the ability to discuss these issues in a safe environment, to engage when they see an incident and to create a positive climate within their school. This is not a magic solution – it won’t stop abuse overnight - but we need to make clear that abusive behaviour is not the norm.”

 

The project comes ahead of the domestic abuse phase of this year’s Anti-Violence Campaign, which begins on December 1.