A difficult situation of divorced parents, and especially the father who was physically and psychically abusing the entire family, made the teacher of an 11-year-old girl to initiate the family group conference (FGC). The girl was excellent in school, but she needed the assistance since she felt less valuable, she had no self-esteem and she lived in a constant fear that her father would do something bad. After the conducted FGC and counselling, the girl was psychologically empowered, she overcame the fear and feelings of no value, and her personality is being expressed more and more. Her dream is to get over with the current situation, and she would like to help children and give them what they don’t have.

Eight-year-old girl is living in a dysfunctional family where violence is present every day. When she came to the Center, she felt emotional pain and suffering because one parent was abusing the other. Her reactions to violence was anger and fear, which were making additional problems in the family and school every day.

The Family Group Conference was organized, the Family Plan created where the girl was motivated to certain everyday activities for which she was rewarded (e.g. collecting toys, writing homework, going to bed). The girl has stared slowly but surely to learn what is good for her and her behaviour is improving. Now she likes writing homework and she wants to become a singer when she grows up.

Fifteen-year-old boy, after his parents died, was left alone with a lot of problems, which negatively reflected on his school performance, and he got in contact with bad company. A social worker, who was his guardian, proposed the organisation of Family Group Conference for him. Besides close relatives and friends of the late parents, the school pedagogue also came to the Conference. On that occasion, they all identified a plan for resolving the problems. After the conducted meeting, the boy started to attend school again, he improved his grades, he kept the apartment where he lived, and he also realised that there were important people in his environment he could rely on in difficult situations.

My parents do not live together for years and they do not talk. At the beginning of the Family Group Conference, I was afraid that it would start fighting because of me. That fear disappeared at the very moment when I saw them talking about me seriously, but in a nice way and carefully. At the conference I was big and important, and I often remember that because I became somehow better, stronger, different since then.

Altruist, Mostar

At that moment, I would have accepted everything that was offered to me, just to find a solution for my problem. For some people, my problem was small, unimportant. But I thought I would go crazy. When I divorced and stayed with two young children without the support of family and friends, I did not know what to do. The Family Group Conference has changed everything, I have received the required assistance for children but also for myself, because I felt rejected although I did not tell this to anyone at that time.