Training program for professionals working in the Education and Violence Prevention Centers (NEPREs): a report of a training experience

Abstract

This study seeks to report the experience of a training program developed with and between professionals working in the Education and Violence Prevention Centers (NEPREs) of 24 schools located in the midwest region of the state of Santa Catarina, aiming to confront and prevent bullying. The empirical basis of the text is an investigation of a qualitative nature. The training process developed in the research has theoretical and methodological support from the perspectives of Paulo Freire's praxis, Urie Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory of Human Development and the ecological insertion method. Data collection involved four stages: 1) organization and planning of the training program; 2) application and analysis of a diagnostic questionnaire to the participants; 3) execution of the training program; 4) interactive assessment, application of a final assessment questionnaire and field diaries. In data analysis, we employed the content analysis technique. Four theoretical and practical actions were mobilized by the professionals, based on the training program: 1) restructuring of the NEPREs teams; 2) planning interdisciplinary projects; 3) reorganization of the school's physical spaces and, 4) creation of study, reflection and planning groups at the school, involving the collective of professionals. The program, as it was developed, constitutes an alternative for confronting and preventing bullying in schools.