With the start of the school year, Alcoy's Local Coexistence Table is working to anticipate conflict situations in educational centers and facilitate a coordinated response. This initiative, officially launched last May, was based on a prior study that identified needs in coexistence and mediation. 94.1% of centers are already carrying out coexistence actions and 64.7% have mediation teams, while 82.4% indicate the need for specific training for teachers and students.
The Table pools existing municipal and educational resources, expanding prevention tools. Participants include Education, Social Services (with SEAFI), Health, and the Local Police's Tutor Agent Unit, alongside educational centers and other community stakeholders. The Councilor for Inclusive Policies, Aroa Mira, explains that the goal is to provide tools and training to act before conflicts become more complex, as not all centers have the same resources.
Coexistence is considered a shared responsibility. The Table complements the functions of educational centers and municipal services, especially for situations requiring intervention beyond the strictly school-based scope. The project focuses on a preventive approach, structured in three levels: primary (for the entire educational community), secondary (for early indicators of risk), and tertiary (for complex situations).
At the beginning of this academic year, primary prevention will include training and awareness-raising for teachers, students, and families, also extending to dining halls and extracurricular activities. The Councilor for Education, Alberto Belda, emphasizes that prevention is the starting point, aiming to provide resources for detecting risk situations and addressing conflicts through dialogue.
The Table is also developing a joint protocol to standardize action criteria and establish clear mechanisms. When a complex case is detected, a coordinated response will be activated, including detection, analysis, intervention, and follow-up. Family participation is encouraged to enhance prevention effectiveness through a network connecting educational centers, families, and child care services.
This initiative is part of the Alcoy City Council's actions in the field of childhood and adolescence, linked to its work with UNICEF, and seeks to consolidate a stable coordination network among the various resources.
