According to KiVa, a commonly used definition of bullying is that bullying is intentionally and repeatedly causing distress or harm to the same individual. In addition, it is difficult for the bullied children to defend themselves. This refers to the power imbalance between the parties – the bullied child usually has less power meaning they may find it difficult to defend themselves.
Bullying can take many different forms. Most often it consists of verbal abuse and public ridicule of the target, but there are many other forms of bullying as well. Often the targets are bullied in more than one way and bullying is more than just single attacks. It is a rather stable relationship between the bully and the bullied child, and this relationship is further embedded in the larger peer setting.
KiVa is an effective anti-bullying program based on scientific evidence evaluated in numerous studies. Kiva provides practical tools and resources for schools to address bullying. There are three units, for different age groups: Unit 1: ages 6-9, Unit 2: ages 10-12, and Unit 3: ages 13-16.
The goal of KiVa is to prevent bullying and to tackle the cases of bullying effectively. The programme is based on decades of extensive research of bullying and its mechanisms. The KiVa programme revolves around three key components: prevention, intervention, and ongoing monitoring.
The first two aspects: Prevention and intervention are important. Since there are no prevention efforts that will make bullying disappear once and for all, there is a need for tools to use when a case of bullying happens.
The third aspect of KiVa is constant monitoring of the situation in one’s school and the changes taking place over time. This is enabled by the online tools included in KiVa. These tools produce annual feedback for each school about their implementation of the program as well as the outcomes obtained.
Bullying is a serious issue that can harm a child for life. We are dedicated to nurturing a safe, joyful, and stress-free learning environment for students to grow and thrive academically and personally. Being the first Swiss boarding school recognized by an international organization such as the KiVa Antibullying Program holds significant importance for us. It reaffirms our continuous commitment as a school that promotes a good education for life and as our motto says, “A place to Grow.”