Conference in Riga to Address School Bullying Issues
The KiVa anti-bullying program, developed at the University of Turku in Finland, is gaining traction in schools across the globe, including Latvia, where it is being implemented as part of a broader mental health action plan. The focus of the program is shifting towards comprehensive mental wellbeing and social-emotional skills development, with a particular emphasis on the prevention of intimate boundary violations.
On May 29, a conference will take place at the National Library of Latvia, focusing on the current topic of recognition and prevention of intimate boundary violations in schools. The event, which will run from 10:00 to 16:00, will bring together education leaders, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss the evolving role of the KiVa program in creating safer, emotionally supportive school environments.
Prof. Christina Salmivalli and Katja Linnaranta, the KiVa program coordinator from Finland, will be among the lecturers at the conference. The first part of the conference will be live-streamed on the Facebook page "Happy Children: Initiatives and Current Affairs" and the official Youtube channel of the State Chancellery, allowing a wider audience to participate in the discussion.
The conference will feature practical workshops on creating a safe and respectful school environment, including constructive communication with parents, drama methods, and solutions for break situations. Participants can expect to gain practical tools, share experiences, and find inspiration for future work. The event will also include opinions of KiVa school students about the program's impact.
KiVa is currently operating in 176 schools across Latvia, with practical work carried out with students, teachers, and parents within the program. The program is based on three steps: prevention of abuse, case resolution, and situation monitoring. However, while the current search results do not specifically detail intimate boundary violations, KiVa’s framework inherently includes preventing all forms of bullying and harassment, of which intimate boundary violations would be a critical component.
Research shows that more than 40% of students in Latvian schools experience bullying at least a few times a month, making the need for effective anti-bullying programs like KiVa more urgent than ever. The program's expansion and deepening of implementation are part of a broader effort to prevent bullying and strengthen students’ social and emotional skills, with teachers, coaches, and youth workers receiving more training to support their own wellbeing and detect mental health issues early.
The latest development regarding the KiVa anti-bullying program shows a strong focus on a cross-sectoral prevention approach, where anti-bullying efforts are integrated with broader child and youth mental health strategies. This means enhancing coordination across city departments and focusing on the whole environment around schools, including safer surroundings and more youth-friendly gathering spaces.
While the program has faced challenges, such as KiVa’s relative difficulty in addressing bullying by socially powerful bullies, ongoing refinement is needed to address complex social dynamics within schools. However, the evolution of KiVa beyond just anti-bullying into a comprehensive framework for safer, emotionally supportive school environments indicates a promising future for the program.
More information about the history of the KiVa programme can be found elsewhere, and the full event program is available on the State Chancellery website. Those interested in attending the conference are encouraged to register and join the discussion on creating safer, more supportive school environments for all students.
- The conference on May 29 at the National Library of Latvia will live-stream the discussion on recognition and prevention of intimate boundary violations in schools on the Facebook page "Happy Children: Initiatives and Current Affairs" and the official Youtube channel of the State Chancellery.
- The KiVa anti-bullying program, currently operating in 176 schools across Latvia, is expanding its implementation to include a broader child and youth mental health strategy, aiming to create safer, more supportive school environments for all students.
- Participants in the conference can expect practical advice on creating a safe and respectful school environment, with a focus on learnings from the KiVa program, which puts emphasis on the prevention of all forms of bullying and harassment.
- As part of the broader mental health action plan in Latvia, the KiVa program is shifting its focus towards comprehensive mental wellbeing and social-emotional skills development, including home-and-garden, education-and-self-development, and lifestyle aspects.
