Student mediators against bullying at school

Vincent Peillon, Ministry of National Education, tackles a scourge: school bullying. One in ten schoolchildren is affected. This November 26, a new awareness campaign is thrown. It is accompanied by the announcement of a series of measures to prevent and combat harassment.

Student mediators

Among these measures, some are already in place. This is the case of the “student-mediators” that Vincent Peillon wishes to generalize. These mediators are the same age as the other schoolchildren and have a helping role. When a crisis breaks out between two young people, mediation can defuse it without outside intervention. This method has several advantages. It allows, at first, to settle the problems between minors, without fear of judgment. It is also simpler: no need to make an appointment to talk about it. The last strong point of mediation between students: it creates a climate of trust within the school.

The value of developing a climate of trust has been demonstrated in a recent study by Riverside University (California, United States). Published in the journal Theory Into Practice, she suggests that the atmosphere in the establishment influences student behavior. To anticipate violent behavior, educators must assess the school climate and act to improve it. In-depth and complex work, as Cixi Wang, co-author of the study, explains: “Harassment is a complex problem. With this study, we are really trying to provide school staff with proven methods to deal with the issue. “

A climate of trust

Researchers have shown that positive relationships between students and teachers are crucial for a positive atmosphere within an institution. This is how the “student mediators” promoted by Vincent Peillon can fight against bullying at school. Positive behaviors and attitudes, such as empathy, solidarity or concern for others, are set up as a model. In addition, teachers should avoid minimizing incidents as much as possible, integrate school climate interventions into the school curriculum, and speak openly about bullying. Finally, the American study suggests that each harassing behavior should be punished according to internal regulations.

The Peillon method is softer and favors dialogue: solving the problem at its source, between students, so as not to aggravate the conflict. But, as the study points out, for such a climate of trust to be established, each crisis must be reported and dealt with – by mediators or the teaching staff. For this, interactions between teachers and students must not be altered.

In recent years, the issue of bullying at school has been at the heart of school policies. Until then, a constant challenge arises for educators: to assess the factors that lead to harassment, to prevent and intervene according to methods of proven effectiveness. A new dimension has been added to this challenge, this time outside the school walls: cyber-bullying. This violence is less easily detected by teachers but hurts just as much. This is the second part of the measures proposed by Vincent Peillon.

Watch the National Education awareness campaign:

The fight against bullying at school is an integral part of a public health strategy. Indeed, as the authors of the American study point out, research has shown that young people involved in bullying cases suffer more from mental health problems. They also have a higher level of cognitive distortions, i.e. a tendency to interpret information negatively, over-generalizing, or even drawing hasty conclusions. However, cognitive distortions contribute to emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety as well as personality disorders.