Danish
Piloting Peer
Mentoring for
Prison Staff
On November 21st, the BrainLog team, in collaboration with The Danish Prison Officers Trade Union, conducted a crucial pilot session for the M4Pris project. This session concentrated on the core components of the project: the development of a peer mentoring program tailored for prison staff (WP3) and the creation of a comprehensive training course for mentoring coordinators (WP4).
Key participants included board members of the Danish Prison Officers Trade Union, whose expertise and insights proved invaluable. They engaged with the programme’s modules, which incorporated both asynchronous and synchronous learning methods, and actively participated in group discussions.
These discussions covered vital aspects of peer mentoring, such as:
- Handling challenging conversations between mentors and mentees
- Identifying and addressing stress factors within the prison environment
- Resolving potential conflicts in mentor-mentee relationships
- Understanding the fundamental processes of effective mentoring.
The feedback gathered from these exercises will be instrumental in refining the peer mentoring programme, which aims to mitigate mental health issues, job burnout, and job-related stress among prison staff.
Collaborative Visit to Storstrøm Prison
Furthering the project’s goals, a delegation from SNPP Politia Penitenciara (The Romanian Prison Officers Union) and BrainLog, in collaboration with the Danish Prison Officers Union, visited Storstrøm Prison on December 3rd. This visit provided an opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaboration, focusing on the objectives of the briss project.
Discussions during the visit centered on the shared goals of prison officers’ unions, including collective agreements, working conditions, and governmental negotiations. A significant portion of the discussions was also focused on the mental health challenges prison officers face.
Project Goals and Impact
The M4Pris project aims to introduce innovative learning methods and tools to improve professional training for prison officers, particularly in countries where formal mentorship programs are lacking. By providing staff with practical skills and modern competencies, the project seeks to foster a more effective prison environment that prioritizes security, rehabilitation, and officer well-being. M4Pris also emphasizes the importance of understanding human rights and social inclusion.
This project highlights the significance of cross-border partnerships in building stronger, more resilient prison systems that prioritize both security and the well-being of staff and inmates.