Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying in Schools: Exploring Effective Strategies

Bullying, whether in-person or online, has significant consequences for the victims but also for those who engage in such behaviors. Addressing this issue within educational settings is essential to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students. This course was designed to equip educators with the necessary strategies to prevent and combat all forms of bullying in schools.

The new edition of the course “How to stop bullying and cyber bullying in schools and promote social emotional learning​” took place in Tenerife from 23/02/2025 to 01/03/2025. The participants came from all across Europe, with Anna Maria De Benedetti and Francesca Tritico from I.C. Luigi Capuana in Italy, Kim Claes from WICO in Belgium, Ere Rekker-Mägi and Teri Voomets from Kääpa Kool in Estonia, Jelena Blagojevic and Dijana Tabak from Europaschule am Friedenspark, Hemer in Germany, Ann Goethals from Margareta Maria Instituut in Belgium

We started with our introduction day where we brainstormed all the different kind of bullying behaviours: which forms does it takes? Who are the participants of a bullying scenario?  Which are the three main elements which distinguish bullying from conflict?

We moved on to talk about the victim: which are the risk factors that lead children to be bullied? And what can we do to prevent this situation?  What are the initiatives that can be carried out to prevent bullying behaviours? We looked at these topics by 4 different points of view: family, school, individual and community. 

One of the main and most difficult types of bullying to be eradicated is cyber bullying. Nowadays Internet has a major role in the lives of our kids and may have a negative impact on them. However, it also has some positive sides. With some practical activities we explored the world of cyber bullying. We also discussed about the differences between traditional and cyber bullying and about the things that they have in common. To understand and put ourselves in the shoes of bullying victims we implemented a very powerful activity which can be used both with students, parents and teachers to raise awareness.

In order to prevent bullying behaviours it is vital to foster a positive classroom environment. This is why we explored the topics of emotional intelligence, membership and inclusion and collaboration. These are pillars for a supportive classroom and should not be underestimated. Of course we discussed about this with a lot of non formal and creative activities and games, thanks to which it was impossible to get bored ;)

Discover more about this course here.