KIVA
Bullying is a problem in every school. It is a problem that negatively impacts on the well being and the development of students. To effectively deal with the issue of bullying, the public Montessorischool Oegstgeest has registered with KIVA as trial school in the 2012-2013 academic year. That year we participated in the research for the new anti-bullying program KIVA.
KIVA is an anti bullying program that originated in Finland. The abbreviation KIVA is derived from the words ‘Kiusaamisen Vastainen’ or ‘Kuisaamista Vastustava’ which in Finnish means ‘Against Bullying’. KIVA has a strong theoretical basis and research finds that with the help of this program in Finland bullying has diminished substantially. These are the two reasons the public Montessorischool Oegstgeest is enthusiastic about this program: Through the teacher training and guidance in the training the teachers have taken ownership of the program.
The KIVA program includes several key features:
- Solving problems with in the whole group.
- Not only do the bully and the victim have a role to play, but the bystanders are also involved in the solution.
- Working towards a solution, and not to place blame on any party involved.
- Preventing and addressing bullying: The Kiva program contains both general and specific guidelines.
- The general guidelines aim to prevent bullying and targeted guidelines are utilized in specific cases of bullying.
- Versatile and practical material for teachers, students and parents use.
To get an idea of how KIVA works on a day to day basis, please visit this website: https://www.kivaschool.nl/A special guide for parents can be found at: https://www.kivaschool.nl/ouders/