Free from bullying - Fri for mobberi
Ready for School and Ready Against Bullying
Save the Children Denmark Programme 2006 – 2009
Save the Children Denmark has conducted a preventive anti- bullying program for preschoolers (Kindergarden). The aim was to strengthen the social interaction among children, rendering it more positive, tolerant and friendly.
Past efforts aimed at changing patterns of teasing and bullying among children in Denmark have focused on school-aged children. However, all evidence indicates that it is possible to begin such work much earlier in order to create better, more positive and friendlier environments for school children.
The first stage of the campaign consists of a pilot project in which three Danish municipalities select a number of preschool (kindergarden) programs and schools to implement the program in their daily pedagogical activities.
Four basic values
The anti-bullying program is grounded in four basic human values: tolerance, respect, care and courage.
The selected preschool institutions and schools themselves formulate what these values mean for the everyday activities among the children and school pupils, between the adults and between the adults and children.
Big teddy bear and little teddy bear
Inspiration is drawn from The Alannah and Madeline Foundation in Australia, which uses a special teddy bear (“buddy-bear”) as the mascot for the campaign.
The teddy bear is a figure that transcends generations and cultures. The teddy bear has an aura of security, comfort and friendship, and the figure ought to remind children in preschool and kindergarten to take good care of one another – to be a good friend.
The big teddy bear is the property of the kindergarten, and the children can take turns borrowing it to take it home. The little teddy bear, on the other hand, is given to each child.
The teddy bear also serves as a brand in the general material for the campaign.
“Small social practices”
The anti-bullying program is implemented by establishing a number of small, good social practices aimed at reinforcing the sense of solidarity among the children. The general ambition of the project is for these good practices to become culturally reinforced actions that carry over to school when the children start there.
Examples of the “small social practices” are:
- Bodyguard arrangements. The older children help the younger children with a number of specific things, e.g. helping them put on their outdoor clothing, holding their hand while on excursions, etc.
- Massaging. Children learn to give one another tactile massages. Special stories and songs are written for the massage programs, where the children take turns massaging one another’s backs.
- The children are encouraged to get involved when a friend is forced out of the group interaction.
- Drawing. The children draw and talk about their experiences and opinions regarding friendship. The parents are subsequently invited to an exhibition of the children’s drawings.
Target groups
The project aims at three target groups:
Childcare workers ► are encouraged to use the program in their everyday pedagogical practice. The personnel group is also encouraged to work with the social environment within the personnel group.
Parents ► are encouraged to support the program from home by assuming positive attitudes towards other children and other children’s parents.
Children ► the victims of teasing and bullying are the real target of all of these efforts; the program seeks to guarantee a healthy environment in the inpidual childcare institution and school. In order to attain this objective, the efforts aim at activating the entire group of children, including the “passive spectators”, who constitute an important aspect of the teasing and bullying patterns.
Anti-bullying toolbox
Every institution associated with the project receives a toolbox with instruments to be used in the implementation of the anti-teasing program, e.g. a DVD introduction for the adults, advice to parents in a pocket-friendly format, guidelines for tactile massage, teddy bears, post cards and stickers.
Research on knowledge and action
A group of researchers from Roskilde University, headed by Professor Jan Kampmann, has followed the project “Free from Bullying” from start to finish (2007-2009), describing its implementation, progress and results in a series of reports, which you can read here.
Staff at Save the Children Denmark:
Lars Stilling Netteberg
Programmanager
E-mail: lsn@redbarnet.dk
Telephone. +45 35248528
Mobile: +45 20897250 |
