By now everyone, at least in the Primary, knows what KiVa is. Now we could get a feel of how it works in practice in our school. We are enormously grateful to all dedicated KiVa trained class teachers who not only are involved in this innovative Anti-Bullying programme on daily basis, but also spent another free evening to give us, parents, a hands-on experience of it.

Almost 60 parents participated in the presentation followed by interactive sessions in English and German. After the introductory part we were split into four smaller groups and teachers explained and showed to us how KiVa lessons work. Interestingly, a lot of what the children learn in the classroom should also help them in adult life.

Then we were invited by our hosts from the ECB to a buffet where we could have further individual discussions with the teachers and other parents. The school Director, Mr. Patscheider and the Deputy Head of PP and Primary cycle, Mr. Fischböck, were also present.

This is what parents said afterwards:

‘Finding out what if means to be bullied was an enriching experience – not only the theory, but thinking about a child’s situation at school. My kid is always excited about KIVA lessons and now I understand why.’

‘We tried to go back to when we were kids: what would make us want to go to school (and to the office!). The main element is no-aggression, which can be defined as respect, fair treatment and having someone to count on, be it another child or a teacher. Also, playing football makes people happy.’

‘I see football as the cause of fights. What was really nice tonight: we saw the points that kids come up with on how to get into a group, e.g. giving someone time to talk (this is also applicable to adults!). We also learned about emotions and how to recognise body language. As parents, it was super to understand what children are having at school.’

‘We appreciated being able to engage in an activity that helps us understand how the kids learn. The main conclusion was that differences enrich us. We also spoke about ways to include each other.’

Thank you!