How children use a think tank to stop bullying

What to do if you’re a teacher and bullying among your pupils is out of hand?

Primary school teacher Christiane Daepp experienced bullying in her class several years ago. Children were pestered on the school grounds and on their way home. Despite several talks between teachers and the pupils nothing changed.

Then she had the idea to ask a group of older children at the school for help. She was convinced the pupils would collect and follow up on their own ideas for solving the problem without teacher intervention. The older students led one-on-one talks with both the bullied and the bully. The situation improved greatly. 

That was the foundation of the ‘ideas office’: a concept where schoolchildren gather ideas for all sorts of problems and where older pupils consult younger ones. Today there are 100 ideas offices across Switzerland.