Addressing bullying in schools with Dr Henderika De Vries

Mom Life in Luxembourg is a new parenting podcast made for all English speaking parents here in Luxembourg. From crèches to crémant, we'll cover everything you need to know about raising kids and living your best life in the Grand Duchy.

Please note that even though the podcast is called Mom Life, dad's are absolutely welcome! 
Bullying is a universal issue, but when it hits close to home, especially in your child's school, it can make you feel pretty helpless. I sit down with Dr Henderika de Vries, former Fulbright Scholar at Yale and expert in creativity, cultural differences and emotions to discuss how we, as parents, can make a real difference in preventing bullying at schools in Luxembourg.

I wanted to do this episode now for a couple of reasons. Number one, November is anti-bullying, or anti-mobbing month. 4 November was UNESCO’s International Day Against Bullying in Schools Including Cyberbullying. And two, in light of recent current events, I felt compelled to do something (however small) to promote kindness. If we can all make our sphere of influence a little kinder, a little more empathetic, we could truly change the world.

Or at least our little corner of it. A 2021 study revealed that nearly 17% of students in Luxembourg experience bullying in person, and almost 9% are victims of cyberbullying. When you think of the long term effects bullying can have on a child, that is just way too high! 

As parents, we not only want to protect our children from becoming victims, but also help raise a generation of children who can empathize with others, recognize bullying for what it is and stop it before it becomes an issue. 

My guest Dr de Vries has a PhD in the Psychology of Creativity from the University Paris Sorbonne Cité, France, is a Fulbright Scholar, worked as research scientist at the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence and also as psychologist at the European School here in Luxembourg.

She discusses the importance of both prevention and intervention when it comes to bullying. She reveals the groundbreaking Kiva program from Finland, a scientifically backed anti-bullying initiative that has been proven to significantly reduce bullying in schools. And here's the good news: the program works if implemented correctly, with some schools reporting near-zero levels of bullying. Sounds amazing, right? 

However, Dr de Vries explains that the real challenge lies not in the children, but in the adults in charge. While teachers and school leaders may be skeptical about the effectiveness of such programs, the research – and the real-world results – prove that with the right training and commitment, bullying can be dramatically reduced, sometimes in as little as one school hour. 

This episode offers practical advice for parents whose children might be experiencing bullying, from listening actively to their child's concerns to pushing for stronger anti-bullying measures at their school. I hope you give it a listen and find it helpful. The more parent advocates we have for bullying prevention, the better off our community, and our children will be. 

Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. And if you have a topic you’d like to see covered, or you want to be a guest on the show, please email me at momlife@rtltoday.lu or you can find me on social media at momlifeinluxembourg.