THE EUROPEAN ANTIBULLYING NETWORK AS A PROJECT
Introduction
The need for a collective and organized response to bullying on a European level gave birth to the idea of the project “EAN - European Anti-bullying Network”. Acknowledging the importance of all actors involved in the field, “The Smile of the Child” Greek NGO took the initiative to implement a project back in 2012 in collaboration with key actors from across Europe through funding from the European Programme Daphne III.
The main objective of EAN was the establishment of a European Antibullying Network that will contribute to the coordination of anti-bullying actions and develop a common strategy against the problem at European level. Τhe partnership was initially comprised of 17 partners from 12 EU Member States. Once established, all Member States became members of the Network.
Objectives
The project aimed to achieve the following objectives:
The establishment of the European Anti-bullying Network
The development of a common European strategy to tackle bullying
The implementation of European awareness campaigns on the need of establishment of a European Anti-bullying Day
The mapping and promotion of best practices for addressing the phenomenon with the aim of informing children, school communities and public authorities.
Beneficiary Groups
Teachers, parents and public services and entities were the main groups who benefitted from the project, as they obtained useful tools and resources to support them in their fight against bullying. Children who have been victimized in the school or the wider social environment, as well as children and young people who were in some way involved in the phenomenon of bullying (either as victims of bullying, or persons who exercised bullying, or observers) were indirectly benefitted from the implementation of EAN project.
Project and new Deliverables
Products about Antibullying certification project and other EU projects
A Good Practice Guide will incorporates a selection of past examples of good practice in bullying within member states and at European level
Recommendations aiming at the development of a common European strategy against bullying based on the mapping of national legislation and various studies and surveys on the phenomenon at national and European level.
The TV documentary ‘Bullying Diaries’
CAMPAIGNING
One Day in Europe Every Day for Children
This campaign was launched in 2014 and focused upon highlighting the need for coordinated actions against bullying at a European level and the establishment of a European Anti-bullying Day. It is an integral part of the “EAN -European Anti-bullying Network” project to create a common European strategy against this phenomenon.
The aim of this campaign was not the establishment of one more official day in Europe. Our goal was to raise awareness of the problem, to mobilize the relevant stakeholders in the field of bullying and to bring round the table actors in civil society, citizens and the public authorities in order to reflect on the past year’s anti-bullying initiatives, to share experiences and promising practices on the problem and to discuss on concrete initiatives and their planning against bullying for the year ahead. Therefore, the core idea of this campaign was to create a symbolic day as a milestone marking the struggle against bullying that will reinforce the existing anti-bullying initiatives and efforts at national and European level.
EAN escalating GIFs
The campaign was organized in September 2017 under the aegis of the European Anti-bullying Network (EAN). The European Anti-bullying Network (EAN) in cooperation with Ogilvy & Mather Berlin developed a new and interactive way to talk directly to children and young people about bullying by raising awareness and mobilizing the actors involved in the phenomenon through targeted national and EU-wide campaigns. The objective of the campaign was to mobilize students, parents and teachers in Greece and beyond and unite their anti-bullying efforts and initiatives under the slogan “Speak Now”. As part of the campaign students mobilized through GIFs their peers, teachers and parents in an effort to encourage them to take action against the serious issue of bullying and school violence.
EAN POLICY PAPER
EAN and its member organizations are aware of the huge challenge implied in its broad call for action, as described below.
EAN’s membership is widely spread out over the entire European continent and
consequently brings together anti-bullying approaches and strategies
which have been designed in accordance with and respectful of local conditions of culture and society.
EAN considers this to be a valuable asset in view of a cooperation with institutions, public and nongovernmental, to work towards objectives of Responsible Leadership as described below.
SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES
1st International Conference, Athens, June 2014
http://www.antibullying.eu/article/466/europe-needs-develop-common-strategy-against-bullying-key-message-1st-conference
2nd International Conference, European Parliament, Brussels, December 2015
http://www.antibullying.eu/article/629/alarming-increase-bullying-incidents-europe-calls-common-european-strategy
ANTIBULLYING CERTIFICATION
In 2017 the network embarked on a project of developing a certification mechanism, through which schools adopt a policy and code of conduct aimed at combating bullying in their establishment, and are recognized as such by means of a certification.
The Antibullying Certification project aims to develop a quality system to monitor the social safety in high schools and to help them to develop improved a safe school policy and strategy. The project was initiated by EAN and is coordinated by GALE. Upon the conclusion of the project, this discussion will also be taken to the European level. The project partners think that Europe needs efficient safe schools.
The ABC (Anti Bullying Certification) project has partners from 5 countries: Greece (The Smile of the Child), Italy (Fondazione Hallgarten Franchetti - Villa Montesca and CESIE), The Netherlands (GALE - The Global Alliance for LGBT Education), Spain (Asociación Cívica de Comunicación y Educación “Sophia” - ACCESO) and the UK (Merseyside Expanding Horizons). GALE is the lead partner.
The certification tool will be presented at the heart of the European Institutions in Brussels upon the conclusion of the project in November 2019.