The KiVa Program, Finland’s Powerful Secret to Combating Bullying – Have you heard of the KiVa program? This program has proven effective in reducing bullying cases in the Nordic country of Finland.
Yes, in addition to being renowned for its academic achievements, Finland has also succeeded in creating a safe school environment, both physically and mentally. One of the secrets to this success is the implementation of a holistic and integrated anti-bullying program.
Getting to Know the KiVa Program Better
KiVa is basically an acronym for “Kiusaamista Vastaan,” which in Finnish means “against bullying.” The program was developed by experts at the University of Turku, Finland, and began implementation in 2009.
Unlike typical anti-bullying programs, KiVa does not focus solely on victims and perpetrators. Instead, it focuses on the school environment as a whole.
The Three Core Principles of KiVa
There are three main points in this program to prevent bullying in schools. Here is the explanation.
1. Prevention
The team from the University of Turku, led by Professor Christina Salmivalli, believes that “prevention is better than cure.”
That is why this program begins with intensive education so that students understand what bullying is, its negative impacts, and how to deal with it together.
This learning is conducted interactively, educationally, and enjoyably with modules, videos, and role-playing games.
2. Intervention
Schools must have a KiVa team consisting of teachers trained to deal with bullying cases. So that when bullying occurs, the team can immediately take action to:
- Interview victims to conduct a thorough investigation and provide emotional support.
- Discuss with perpetrators to reprimand them, provide understanding, and issue warnings.
- Meet with other students who witnessed the incident to encourage them to actively prevent bullying and help victims.
3. Monitoring
Finally, the anti-bullying team will also conduct regular monitoring. This aims to measure student satisfaction with the program, identify cases of bullying that teachers may not be aware of, and evaluate the effectiveness of the program in each school.
KiVa Proven Effective in Finland
It is not without reason that this Finnish anti-bullying program has been successful. Studies from the NCBI have even shown that after this program was implemented, cases of bullying in Finnish schools decreased dramatically.
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Unlike most similar programs, KiVa takes a holistic approach. They focus not only on the perpetrators and victims, but also on everyone who witnesses bullying.
