The evaluation meeting held on Thursday 29/02/2024 marked the end of the project "Just-Us: Towards a child-friendly justice system in Greece", donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and in cooperation with the Self-Help Promotion Programme of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The aim of the project was to provide support to parents/guardians of children in contact with the law. More specifically, group psychoeducation sessions were organized within the project, as well as mutual support and peer learning groups for parents with similar experiences.
"I went through it all alone" M.D. - Parent of a child with delinquent behaviour.
The statement above, which comes from a recipient of one of the organization's earlier initiatives, encapsulates the urgent need for mutual aid groups as well as parent support, which the Terre des hommes Hellas team identified after conducting research and gathering firsthand knowledge during the course of the organization's five-year fieldwork.
"The completion of the project leaves us much richer in knowledge and experience, the creation of networks of mutual empowerment and mutual learning is a documented need in which we want to invest a lot" Panagiota Kanellopoulou, the project manager.
"The need to continue this programme with a more stable duration is a great prospect for us, all the parents who participated in the groups are willing to continue" Thessaloniki's Juvenile Guardianship Service Supervisor, Nadia Romanidou, is a program partner.
It was with great pride that at the final event of the "Just Us" project, the Short Guide for Parents/Guardians of Children with Delinquent Behaviors and/or in Contact with the Justice System was presented.
More than fifty individuals from Athens, Thessaloniki, and around Greece participated in parent groups, one-on-one parent sessions, information meetings, and an educational workshop during the project's January 2023–February 2024 duration.
As we observe the significant gaps and support needs of parents/guardians who have comparable experiences of managing offending behavior and interaction with the legal system, Tdh Hellas considers the continuation of this initiative to be a top priority.
We express our gratitude to the Self-Help Promotion Programme at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki for their invaluable collaboration and invaluable input into the project's execution.
