Be A Friend, Put Bullying to An End! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Be A Friend, Put Bullying to An End!

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Early School Leaving / combating failure in education; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

One of the two EU 2020 headline targets for education is to reduce early school leaving to a 10 % average across the EU. Bullying is directly recognised as affecting early school leaving in the Annex to the Council Recommendation on Early School Leaving (2011): ‘At the level of the school or training institution strategies against early school leaving are embedded in an overall school development policy. They aim at creating a positive learning environment, reinforcing pedagogical quality and innovation, enhancing teaching staff competences to deal with social and cultural diversity, and developing anti-violence and anti-bullying approaches’. The EU Council Recommendation (2011) on early school leaving also acknowledges that: ‘Targeted individual support” is especially important for young people in situations of serious social or emotional distress which hinders them from continuing education or training’.

Violence and bullying in schools violates the rights of children and adolescents, including their right to education and to health. There is clear evidence that school violence and bullying has a negative impact on the academic performance, physical and mental health and emotional well-being of those who are victimised. It also has a detrimental effect on perpetrators and bystanders. By creating an atmosphere of anxiety, fear and insecurity that is incompatible with learning, it has a negative impact on the wider school environment. School violence and bullying also has wider social and economic costs as well as a long-term impact as the effects persist into adult life. Involvement in school bullying can be a predictor of future antisocial and criminal behaviour and social and relationship difficulties. In addition, school violence is a key factor contributing to under-representation of girls in education.

6 secondary schools from Germany, Sweden, Turkey, Austria, Italy and Lithuania have come together with the aim of developing empathy and sympathy culture among pupils, create and build up the self-esteem and respect culture towards each other, put an end to the peer bullying which is common in schools and to get rid of the communication obstacles between students.

Main objectives of the project:
• Developing a positive self and recognize and prevent the symptoms of bullying,
•Raising awareness of all members of the school community, parents and school staff about the harm that bullying causes, including solutions to the problem of
rising incidents of cyber bullying in connection with the use of social networks. Preparing youngsters to recognize and respond effectively to early bullying behavior
• Sharing peer bullying prevention and coping strategies in European countries,
• Comparing different ways of facing the problem of bullying and taking advantage of other countries’ solutions,
• Understanding the extent, seriousness, and dynamics of bullying and recognize and respond early and effectively to behaviors that can lead to bullying,
• Developing strategies about how everyone—bullies, victims, and supportive adults—can help control bullying and creating an environment where everyone
understands that bullying behaviors are unacceptable, harmful, and preventable,
• Respecting each other’s cultures despite their ethnic origin, gender, religion, language, skills and other,

There will be 6 LTT meetings with 4 students and 2 teachers for each mobility. 500 participants will benefit from the project directly, and 2500 more people will benefit from the project indirectly. At least 20 participants with fewer opportunities will take part in the project and will benefit from it.

The methodology of the activities include presentation, survey, posters, workshops, case studies, seminars, interviews etc. All the materials will be uploaded on projects website and on Twinspace. The activities and objectives of the project will be integrated into school curriculums which will help project to have a long lasting impact.

There will be a systematic monitoring and evaluating reflection for each step of the project with particular emphasis on the achievement of the objectives in the development of activities, the relevance processed products and the dissemination of the project. For teachers and parents we will use assessment tools such as surveys, interviews and debates.

Target groups and the beneficiaries of the dissemination activities will be: teachers, pupils, parents, local authorities at national and regional level, social partners, school communities, nongovernmental organizations interested in safe and inclusive school environment. In order to ensure success, a strong communication will be established between the teachers and the pupils, local authorities and the parents.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 186780 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule Voitsberg & Country: AT

Project Partners

• Paradisskolan
• SULTANGAZI CUMHURIYET ANADOLU LISESI
• Pestalozzi-Gymnasium Herne
• iis cesare battisti
• Vilniaus savivaldybes Grigiskiu gimnazija