Buddy Bear, massage and safe communities were part of the programme when The Queen and Brigitte Macron visited the Ecole maternelle Dussoubs preschool in Paris Tuesday 1 April 2025. The occasion for the visit is that the French equivalent of Fri for Mobberi, Vivre Ensemble, is about to be rolled out across France. The roll-out will follow a successful pilot test in 18 Parisian preschools in 2023.
2,450 educators and teachers from 250 different schools have already been trained in Vivre Ensemble. They include the staff of the preschool visited by The Queen, the First Lady of France and director of The Mary Foundation, Helle Østergaard. Staff from one of the pilot schools also attended the visit. This provided an opportunity to exchange experiences about the preventive anti-bullying programme which has been developed by The Mary Foundation and Save the Children Denmark.
During the visit, The Queen and Brigitte Macron observed a group of children trying massage activity for the first time – one of the tools in Fri for Mobberi. The children in the class also received a Buddy Bear from The Queen.
“Working with the program Free of Bullying in different countries demonstrates that when we focus on tolerance, respect, care and courage in our interactions with each other, we can create safe communities where everyone can experience a sense of belonging.”
HM The Queen
“Working with the program Free of Bullying in different countries demonstrates that when we focus on tolerance, respect, care and courage in our interactions with each other, we can create safe communities where everyone can experience a sense of belonging. It is a great pleasure to see how children and adults work with the values and tools of Fri for Mobberi in a French classroom, and that even more French children in the future will benefit from Vivre Ensemble’s work to create safe and happy communities for children,” says HM The Queen.
The Fédération de Paris de la Ligue de l’Enseignement is responsible for the organisation of Vivre Ensemble – Fri for Mobberi in France.
“As a former pedagogue at the French School in Copenhagen, I experienced Free of Bullying’s thorough and concrete approach to preventing bullying.”
Margot Neuvialle, project manager for Vivre Ensemble
“As a former pedagogue at the French School in Copenhagen, I experienced Free of Bullying’s thorough and concrete approach to preventing bullying. Fortunately, when I moved back to France, Buddy Bear followed, and I’m proud that Vivre Ensemble will now be widely disseminated in France,” says Margot Neuvialle, project manager for Vivre Ensemble – Fri for Mobberi at Fédération de Paris de la Ligue de l’Enseignement.
In 266 schools, the roll-out of Vivre Ensemble – Fri for Mobberi will be closely monitored. Here, Professor (Assistant) and PhD Thomas Villemonteix from Université Paris 8 lead a large-scale impact study of the programme. Final results will be available in 2032, but preliminary results are expected in 2027.
