Bullying and well-being
Bullying remains a major and acutely felt problem for many Danish children: 6% of all 11-15-year-olds are regularly bullied (according to “Health Behaviour in School-aged Children”, HBSC 2010). Bullying can lead to children living in social isolation.
However, many experts highlight that intervention to inculcate mutual respect and kindness towards one another in early childhood can avoid much unfairness and distress later in life.
This is why the Mary Foundation’s and Save the Children’s preventative programme “Free of Bullying” focuses on the 3-8-year-olds, when the scourge can still be nipped in the bud. This is because everybody has the right to belong, and all children have the right to a happy and secure preschool and school life.
Today "Free of Bullying" is being run in more than 1000 preschools and over 370 schools. It is estimated that about 85,000 children had been involved in the anti-bullying programme. 15. Juni Fonden contributes as a financial partner.
The programme consists of a suitcase with pedagogical tools, such as the cuddly toy Buddy Bear, music and dance exercises, and conversation boards aimed at fostering inclusive children’s communities. The children gain awareness of how to be a good preschool- and schoolmate, of the difference between ill- and good-natured teasing, of their own ability to say stop and to help others do so as well.
The suitcase comes in one version for preschools and another for schools, targeting 3-6-year-olds and 6-8-year-olds respectively.
"Free of Bullying" has been developed on the initiative of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary with inspiration from the Better Buddies programme of the Australian Alannah and Madeline Foundation. It was launched in Denmark in 2007.
”The Mary Foundation’s choice of bullying as one of our first focus areas has been acknowledged by experts who work, in a broad context, with marginalised groups. Research and experience support the assumption that the personal and social consequences of bullying will be fewer, the earlier efforts are made to prevent it. Therefore, the earlier we teach our children to show tolerance, respect and care for each other in their daily interaction, the better. I feel very strongly that everybody has the right to belong. And that every child has the right to a happy and secure childhood”, says Crown Princess Mary.
The feedback from teachers and children using "Free of Bullying" has been highly positive, while researchers have established that the programme makes a difference for the better by markedly improving children’s ability to tackle teasing and bullying at those preschools and schools that have worked intensively on "Free of Bullying".
"Free of Bullying" in Greenland
Close cooperation between the Mary Foundation, Save the Children and public entities in Greenland have led to the testing of an adaptation of "Free of Bullying". Throughout 2010 and 2011 eight selected Greenlandic educational establishments will try out the first version of “Kammagiitta – Free of Bullying”, which aims to prevent and combat bullying in all Greenlandic preschools and schools.
