How to deal with bullying? Ask the child!
Bullying in schools happens everywhere. Although children are always affected their perspective is rarely present in anti-bullying programmes.
ICDI is the Dutch partner in a project focused on early intervention and prevention of bullying. It is as a collaboration of a consortium consisting of seven members and led by the Bulgarian Animus Association. The official name of the project is Introducing Participatory And Child-Centered Approach For Early Identification And Prevention Of Bullying In School Setting In 7 EU Countries.
The overall objective of this project is to involve children in preventing bullying and in creating a safe environment at school in a participatory and empowering way. The project addresses bullying at many levels: individual, school, local community. It targets children together with their teachers, as well as child-care workers and policy makers.
The project aims to support anti-bullying programmes by strengthening a child-centered approach in 7 EU countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.
Description
The project consist of four components.
First, it creates an enabling environment for school children (aged 7-16). Children express their views and experiences of bullying and enable the adults to see bullying through their eyes.
Second, a child-centered methodology is developed to build teachers’ capacity to respond timely to bullying.
School authorities and child-protection system social workers and other professionals are also involved. Victims and perpetrators of bullying will be supported directly.
Lobbying activities for a child-centered approach in designing and applying anti-bullying polices and prevention programs will take place.
Target groups
480 school children aged 7-16 will participate.
120 child victims/perpetrators and their parents (160) will be supported through community based interventions;
400 teachers will be involved in capacity building training;
10.500 parents will be targeted with information materials on early signs of bullying.
A book with children’s visual materials on bullying will be published, as well as a teachers’ manual and leaflet for parents.
ICDI is responsible for activities in The Netherlands.
