The KiVa method, an idea that is ending bullying

In Spain, 70% of 15-year-old schoolchildren have been victims or perpetrators (in many cases, both) of bullying, both in person and through new technologies.

Experts point out that this type of harassment exists in all human societies, and have asked schools to accept the problem in order to study and implement measures aimed at preventing it where it can appear and making it disappear where it exists.

The KiVa method is one of the most promising proposals in this regard.

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The origins of the KiVa method

Finland is a country that allocates great resources to education, as the latter is considered a matter of great importance for the State. In recent years the Nordic country has proposed to end bullying and improve the educational system in its different aspects.

A reflection of this is that Finland has achieved in recent years the worthy first place in higher education, primary education and training in the

Global Competitiveness Index (ICG) thanks to the importance given to education in recent times. All measures aimed at education have contributed to creating a powerful workforce with the skills adequate to adapt to a constantly changing socio-economic context that has caused high levels of development technological.

The Finnish education system: one of the best in the world

Finland is currently one of the most creative and innovative nations in the EU and in the world, ranking second in the ranking (first place is held by Switzerland). At the time the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) elaborated the PISA report, the Nordic country achieved the top positions in education.

However, the Finnish education system is not perfect: Finland also suffers from the dire epidemic of bullying. With what tool do you solve bullying in Finland? Well, with the KiVa program.

The KiVa program

The term KiVa comes from the union of the words “Kiusaamista Vastaan” (in Finnish, against bullying).

Thanks to this proposal, Finland is succeeding in eradicating bullying. This method is applied in 90% of basic education schools, and its success is such that it has become an essential tool when evaluating and choosing any center of the Finnish educational system, both for work, in the case of teachers, and for study, students.

The experimentation stage

The KiVa program was created at the proposal of the Finnish government and the educational community; “The project started being introduced randomly into Finnish schools,” explains Christina Salmivalli, a professor of Psychology and one of the inventors of the program.

Years later a study was carried out (one of the largest in the country, by the way) to see how the program evolved and the impact it had on students. The results were tremendous: the KiVa program had reduced all types of bullying in high schools and colleges. The fence on bullying had begun to work. In fact, bullying disappeared in 80% of schools. Spectacular figures that, logically, have aroused the interest of the international educational community.

Long-term results against bullying

After a year, the researchers realized that the number of children and adolescents who suffered from bullying had decreased by 41%. But the method not only solved the problem, but the program also enhanced the comfort of the students. and the motivation of these at the time of studying, firing through this way the good ratings.

The Finnish embassy in Madrid states that 98 percent of the 1,000 schools that collaborated in the program in 2009 believed that school life had improved significantly during the first year in which the KiVa method was applied, something confirmed by numerous studies.

Such is the success of the program that the KiVa method has received the European Crime Prevention Award in 2009, among others.

One of the best ways to understand the potential of this KiVa anti-bullying program is through an example. At Karamzin school they had a serious bullying problem, so the KiVa program was launched at the school in 2008: during the first year of implementation, bullying was reduced by 60%.

How does the KiVa method work?

The method used in the KiVa program is not to focus on the dialectic of the confrontation between victim and stalker (nor to treat the victim to be more extroverted nor try to change the stalker so that develop empathy) but is based on acting on the student witnesses who laugh at such a situation.

In many cases, these viewers internalize that what is happening is normal, even funny, even though they have a different underlying opinion. What is intended to do through the method is to influence these viewers so that they do not indirectly participate in the harassment. If this is achieved, the harasser, who needs recognition to continue with the bullying, stops harassing because it does not bring him any benefit.

In short, the program is based on trying to keep viewers from saying thank you to the young people who are the aggressor in the bullying. Simple, but effective.

Program details

In the KiVa program, students are instructed in about 20 classes at 7, 10 and 13 years old (key ages in the development of the minor) to identify the different forms of bullying. In this way they are already aware from a very young age.

There are ten syllabi and works that are carried out throughout the course and where moral values ​​such as empathy and respect for others are taught. A lot of resources are used: talks, video game, manuals for teachers, surveillance at recess, feature films... even a virtual mailbox to report if they are witnesses or victims of bullying.

The KiVa team

In every school the principal chooses a KiVa team made up of three adults who detect and investigate cases of bullying **** r.

They first determine whether the harassment is one-off or ongoing. They then talk to the victim to reassure her. Subsequently, they speak with the bullies to sensitize them and with the witnesses, who are the cornerstone of the program, in this way it is possible to reduce bullying.

The potential of the method

This drastic change in a number of Finnish schools can give an idea of ​​the qualitative changes at the social level that this type of programs could have not only in schools, but also in the different cultural strata of adults educated through these methods.

If from the earliest stages we are educated not to passively support acts of violence of this kind, it is conceivable that the mentality of adults will also change in many ways. Only time will tell if these kinds of sudden cultural changes come to pass.. The repercussions of the KiVa program can go far beyond the fight against bullying, they can be the seed for a more just, caring and cohesive society.