Terre des Hommes Suisse and its partners have set up a large number of initiatives to combat bullying at school. These initiatives have a common denominator: to lay the foundations, from the earliest years of schooling, for a culture of peace and the search for understanding by focusing on prevention, dialogue, non-violent communication and mediation.
Mediation that is less focused on judgement and blame than on the objective of maintaining peace, for the good of all. By setting up “peace brigades”, self-protection groups and other measures designed to curb the phenomenon of harassment, Terre des Hommes Suisse and its partners are trying to make the school environment a place of harmonious collective life, characterised by balance, by the wellbeing and well-being of pupils, and by their full development.
Bolivia: Developing a culture of peace in schools
The efforts of the Peace Brigades set up in Bolivia by the PASOCAP organisation in Potosi and the Estrella Foundation in Cochabamba are a perfect example of how to create protective environments for children, with the aim of reducing violence and harassment in schools. Made up of pupils from the same school, the Peace Brigades look after the environment and general atmosphere in which lessons and school life take place. The members of the Peace Brigade are trained in bullying issues and know how to identify the signs of bullying among their classmates, passing on any warnings to teachers and school leaders. The prevention work carried out by the brigades goes well beyond the role they have taken on of being watchdogs for peace and good school coexistence. They also provide information and raise awareness: their members help other pupils to build up their self-esteem so that they are better able to deal with the dangers that harassment poses for its victims.
Boosting self-esteem
Self-protection groups have been set up by the Ayni Foundation in the Cochabamba region with the aim of disarming and thwarting violence at school. The aim is to equip children against the onslaught of enmity and malice by making them aware of their rights and teaching them practical ways of defending themselves.
Making your voice heard
Harassment at school or by digital means (cyberbullying) has emerged as one of the major concerns of Swiss children and pre-adolescents. This was highlighted at the 4th Children’s Conference for French-speaking Switzerland, held in Geneva in November 2023. One of the effects of this was to spur public discussion on what the canton is doing, and what it still needs to initiate and undertake, to deal with bullying.
Haiti: developing a non-violent non-violent pedagogy
Within the framework of positive discipline and non-violent teaching, various behaviour management strategies are established. These include identifying emotions, understanding them and becoming aware of the need to regulate and calm them. Exercises are suggested to educators, and hence to pupils, to help them practise active and empathic listening with others, but also to help them rediscover peace and serenity. This is what is covered in the memento “Discipline positive et pédagogie non-violente” (Positive discipline and non-violent teaching) published by the National Coordination of Terre des Hommes Suisse in Haiti in 2023. The document is presented as a support programme for the training of educators in rights, sustainable development and solidarity (EDDS). It deals with a number of subjects that should be an integral part of any education designed to encourage children to acquire knowledge of their rights, and which seeks to promote the values of sustainable development: respectful communication in the classroom, conflict management and resolution, building positive discipline, and the application of non-violent teaching methods.
