“Fri for mobberi”: the Scandinavian program to end school bullying

Will we be able to end school bullying? School is still a dangerous place for many students. Statistics show two to three bullied children per class, while repeated bullying leads to significant moral consequences and sometimes leads to irreparable harm. Between awareness campaigns and increased penalties for the executioners, France claims its good will, but is struggling to stem this scourge. Denmark may have a solution for us with his method Fri Per Mobberiliterally Freed from harassment.

Ven For Mobberi: developing empathy and the collective:

Since 2005, Denmark has actively prevented school bullying through the Fri For Mobberi programme. Implemented in half of the primary schools, it prevents school bullying thanks to the coexistence principle. Margot Neuvialle, program coordinator of the Ligue de l’enseignement de Paris, presents the method in an interview published by Liberation:

“It is a program that aims to develop psychosocial skills and coexistence to prevent school bullying. This is to ensure that children can develop positive group dynamics. The idea isn’t necessarily that they’re all together all the time—they retain agency in their friendships—but that they’re good companions to each other, looking out for everyone’s well-being. »

Margot Neuvialle, Release, February 21, 2023

Practical resources for children and professionals

This method is accompanied by concrete teaching tools. For young children who have not yet fully mastered the language, the expression of their empathy and attention is expressed by the program’s mascot: a teddy bear distributed to all teachers who practice the method.

For their part, older pupils are invited to discuss the illustrated media that describe everyday school conflicts and to find solutions.

These discussions and these moments of sharing are often the occasion to establish physical contact with his companions:

“For example, to accompany a story being told, children have to draw a movement on a friend’s back. If the bear arrives by plane, the hand reaches down behind the back to reproduce the runway. »

Margot Neuvialle, Release, February 21, 2023

These exchanges make it possible to connect with each other, but also to assimilate the basis of consensus.

The importance of acting together, adults and students

In order to put an end to the dynamics of bullying at school, professionals and families have a real supportive role to play. Teachers who apply the method are trained in advance and receive educational resources to help students develop their community and respect its rules. Parents are strongly encouraged to think about their own behavior and avoid negative talk about others in order not to set a bad example for their children.

After Denmark, the program is now implemented in several countries such as Estonia, Greenland and Iceland. 70% of the professionals who apply the method Ven for Mobberi I am convinced of its effectiveness. Children would be more empathetic and would benefit from a better collective spirit which would allow them to manage their conflicts more easily. For its part, France is starting an experimental phase which will primarily concern certain schools in the Île-de-France.

Photo credit: CDC / Unsplash