On the occasion of the National Day for the Fight Against Bullying at School, Richard Laganier, rector of the Nice academy, visited Lympia College during an awareness day.
700,000 individuals victims of bullying in France
Each year, 700,000 people fall victim to school bullying in France, representing 10% of students. During the 2020/2021 school year, 100 reports of bullying were recorded in the Alpes-Maritimes, including 34 in primary schools (kindergartens and elementary schools), and 66 in secondary schools (colleges).
This bullying awareness day was also an opportunity for the academy’s rector and for the principal of Lympia College to discuss the national project pHARe of which this college is a part.
The pHARe program – a program to combat bullying at school – began two years ago as a two-year experiment in six different academies, including Nice.
Since the 2021 school year started, more than half (51%) of colleges and primary schools have been part of the program. By the start of the 2022 school year, the remaining 49% will join.
Schools sign a charter in which they agree to implement this two-year program, to form a resource team of at least 5 staff members responsible for implementing the protocol, as well as a team of at least 10 student ambassadors. The program includes 10 annual hours of learning for students from first grade to ninth grade.
At Lympia College, these student ambassadors, all in seventh grade, were more numerous – about thirty.
Meeting between seventh-grade student ambassadors, the principal of Lympia College (far left), and the rector of the Nice academy (left).
During a meeting with the rector and the school’s principal, some of them shared their reasons for wanting to become ambassadors. For Hélène, a young ambassador and former victim of bullying, it is a way to show bullied people “that they are strong and should not be pushed around by poor peers”.
“The important thing when you see someone suffering is to go talk to them, comfort them, and then tell an adult”. Illiana, student ambassador who witnessed bullying at school.
3020: national helpline to report bullying
The school principal appreciates the use of the lighthouse image guiding ships at night to describe the program. “The idea of this program is that the lighthouse, whether it is the resource staff or the ambassador, must be visible enough for the child who is in the dark to approach it and find light and regain their adolescent sociality”, she said.
The school bullying awareness day concluded with the inauguration of the “anti-bullying wall” at Lympia College in the presence of the rector of the Nice academy. Students were invited to work on the lexical field of bullying by creating posters, which they then placed on this wall.
Inauguration of the anti-bullying wall at Lympia College in the presence of the rector of the Nice academy (left).
New measures announced by Macron
On this day of the fight against bullying at school, November 18, Emmanuel Macron announced new measures.
He announced the strengthening of parental control, which will be installed by default on all phones, computers, tablets used by children.
He also announced in a video that “in addition to the 3018 number that has been set up, a 3018 app will be launched in February to allow victims and witnesses to send a screenshot of bullying situations so that they can be better supported”
To all the young victims of bullying: you must know that we are on your side. Speak out. I say it clearly: we can win this fight as long as we let nothing slide, as long as we yield nothing. https://t.co/4yqQcHL8vV
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 18, 2021
Finally, he announced the launch of an experiment “by delivering a digital awareness certification to sixth-grade students starting in the 2022 school year, with the idea of later generalizing it from the following year”.
