Te Kura o Manga Kawari has implemented this programme across the school. Each week I will give you some snippets of information about it so you have an understanding of the programme.

'In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.'

The quote above by Martin Luther King effectively describes the experience of many bullied children that leads them to believe that no one cares or is on their side. This situation may persist for years. Why don't people take the victim's side? There can be many reasons behind their inaction. One reason is lack of courage; the fear of being bullied themselves. Lack of knowledge is another factor that can prevent an individual fro providing support; they don't know what they can do to help the victim. The goal of the KiVa programme is to help children realise what even small things can do to convey the following: "I'm on your side." "I want to support you," or " I think you're being mistreated."

Students may be embarrassed by what is being done to the victim. Feelings of shame and embarrassment may increase other students' willingness to intervene in bullying. Gradually the lack of intervention will turn to indifference and the victim's situation may be erased from memory. When someone forgets, they can feel better. Once bullying is put out of one's mind it becomes trivial and one can stop paying special attention to it. At this point, bullying has become part of the daily life in a class and at the school, and an individual student has no reason, nor the tools or courage to intervene. The objective of The KiVa Programme is to influence the entire class. The programme helps to build a shared atmosphere of awareness, intervention and responsibility. The goal is to educate the students so that instead of silently approving or encouraging the bullies they start supporting the victim, thus showing that they do not condone bullying. Stopping bullying becomes possible when a sense of shared responsibility is developed and group norms are changed. This programme attempts to achieve both of these things. Another goal is to provide students with concrete tools for intervening in bullying situations as well as creating a safe atmosphere where no one defending the victim has to be afraid of being bullied him/herself.

A bully seldom works alone. S/he usually has his/her assistants and reinforcers. The victim may have defenders, but most of the students withdraw to the side in bullying situations and become silent approvers. Fear and lack of knowledge make it impossible to take the victim's side. They forget about bullying and it becomes a normal part of the school day. The KiVa Programme offers research-based knowledge, tools and solutions which can help teachers tackle bullying and help students safely take the victim's side.