European Region together with other eight partners are now implementing the project: “Safe from Harm! Creating a safe environment for children and young people in youth organizations”.The partnership is composed by seven NSOs and NSAs, namely Slovensky Skauting (SK), Scouts et Guides de France (FR), ASDE-Scouts de España (ES), Lietuvos Skautija (LT), Movimento Scout Católico (ES), Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (DE), Scouting Nederland (NL), and the Cyprus Scout Association (CY). The European Regional Office, as recipient of the EU grant, is coordinating the project by supporting the partners in its implementation.

The project will provide a quality, relevant and motivating output by combining European and national approaches. It will facilitate the delivery of tailor-made policies or tools for each partner, to fit and answer the needs and the specificities of each of them; the European “added value” is necessary to broaden the understanding, use the practices in place in other countries and adapt to ever changing societies.

In the first European Meeting that took place recently in Spain, the partners had the opportunity to start developing a common ground on the topic of child protection in Scouting, identifying the existing needs and challenges, sharing best practices already in place and designing national projects. During the summer each partner has been working in its own country to implement national activities and they will gather again for a mid term European meeting in Slovakia at the end of November. We know there is interest in the project amongst other NSOs/NSAs and it is possible to participate in the meeting in November in Slovakia at their own costs by contacting the Safe from Harm Project Manager.

As mentioned before the project is financially supported by the DAPHNE III programme of the European Union that awarded a grant to the European Regional Office to run the project together with the partners until August 2014.

All the results of the project will be widely shared with all the other NSOs/NSAs of WOSM through our regular communication channels and direct presence of the project staff of Safe from Harm! at events such as the Academy 2013, the World Scout Education Congress and other regional and world events.

Furthermore, a final conference, open to all the NSOs/NSAs and external partners active in the field of child protection, will be organised in Brussels in June 2014.

It will be possible to find all the information about the project on the website under construction and to be launched soon: www.safefromharm.eu

If you want to know more about the project and its features do not hesitate to contact the Safe from Harm! Project Manager, Nicolò Pranzini at npranzini@scout.org

WOSM ESR Circular 15 2013 (English, French)

Safe From Harm Project Summary (English, French)