What is Week Against Bullying?
Week Against Bullying is a nationwide project week that the School & Safety Foundation organizes every year during the fourth week of September. The week is entirely dedicated to, you guessed it: bullying. Teaching materials are specially developed for this week around that year's theme. These materials, along with the activities and posters, are available free of charge.
Why does Week Against Bullying exist? What is its purpose?
Bullying is an important topic when it comes to social safety in schools. Bullying still occurs in every school and in every class. If bullying is not addressed in time, it has serious consequences. Studies show that victims of bullying can suffer from psychological problems even years later. In addition to the negative consequences for victims, bullying affects the feeling of safety of all students. It creates a negative atmosphere throughout the group. More attention is needed, which is why we traditionally organize Week Against Bullying during the fourth week of September. This week was chosen because it is beneficial to make a strong start at the beginning of the school year when working toward a pleasant and safe school. During these first few weeks, you can have the greatest influence on positive group formation. Week Against Bullying helps schools do this.
Why is this week called Week Against Bullying? It sounds so negative
With Week Against Bullying, we want as many schools as possible to pay attention to bullying – or, better put, to making a good start together. It is important to make the subject of bullying open to discussion and keep it that way. This is also what students say. They believe it is important to be able to talk about bullying in class. At the School & Safety Foundation, we focus on positive group formation, because that is, after all, the effective element in creating safe groups in which children are allowed to be themselves. Accepting yourself and others in this process is incredibly important. At the same time, we also want to call things by their name. It is and remains bullying; something that has a lasting impact on many people's lives. Thus, by focusing on positive group formation, we also want to combat bullying.
Who is Week Against Bullying for?
During Week Against Bullying, you as a teacher are central. As a teacher, you play a major role in creating a pleasant group and a safe class for everyone. Being a teacher means much more than simply passing on knowledge to students. In addition to arithmetic, languages, chemistry and history, you also teach them how to interact with one another. Which behavior is and is not acceptable. And what it means to be part of a group and a citizen in society. Every year, for Week Against Bullying, we launch new information and tools to help you get started with this.
Week Against Bullying is for all teachers in mainstream and special primary education, mainstream and special secondary education, and senior secondary vocational education.
Since when has Week Against Bullying existed?
Week Against Bullying began in Belgium in 2005. The Flemish Week Against Bullying is organized every year during the Silver Weeks. Since 2014, the School & Safety Foundation has organized the Dutch Week Against Bullying in September, during the Golden Weeks.
Read here more about the 2022 theme, Just a joke! Surely that's allowed?!