Primary and secondary school teachers seeking to enhance their understanding and intervention strategies regarding school bullying.

• Here and now: engages teachers in the present moment, focusing on immediate reactions and interactions within bullying scenarios.

• Self-awareness: increases understanding of personal reactions and biases towards bullying, promoting introspection.

• Personal responsibility: encourages teachers to acknowledge their role in identifying and addressing bullying, emphasizing proactive behaviour.

• Direct experience: utilizes experiential learning to deepen understanding of bullying dynamics and effective interventions.

• Creativity and experimentation foster innovative thinking in resolving conflicts and exploring alternative solutions to bullying.

• Empathy and interpersonal relationships enhance empathy for all parties involved in bullying, aiming to improve communication, and understanding.

• Conflict resolution: offers a platform for practicing and developing effective strategies to manage and resolve bullying incidents.

None required, optional props or costumes to simulate a school environment.

Approximately 60 minutes.

1. Theatrical representation: begin with a 5-minute theatre scene depicting a bullying situation, pausing at the peak moment of conflict. The scene should be general enough to resonate with various school contexts yet specific in displaying the dynamics of bullying.

2. Audience intervention: after the scene freezes, the facilitator invites the audience (teachers) to suggest alternative actions that could lead to a more positive outcome. Volunteers from the audience can step into roles to improvise these suggestions.

3. Small group discussions: teachers break into small groups to discuss real or hypothetical bullying situations in their schools, sharing experiences, feelings, and potential strategies.

4. Development of a coexistence contract: the activity concludes with the creation of a coexistence agreement, incorporating insights from the discussions and the improvised scenes. This contract outlines behaviours, responses, and support mechanisms to foster a bullying-free school environment.

For participants who may feel vulnerable or uncomfortable, allow them to suggest solutions through storytelling, drawing, or group discussion instead of acting. For those with limited mobility, scenes can be done seated or vocally. In virtual settings, encourage use of voice, camera, or text-based improvisation. For younger or neurodiverse groups, provide structured scenarios and clear, simple roles with visual or verbal prompts.

After the dramatization, invite participants to reflect on how it felt to act out or witness positive interventions against bullying. Ask them to discuss which solutions felt most realistic or powerful, and how those actions could be applied in real life. Reinforce the message that everyone can play a role in creating a safer, more respectful environment.

• Enhanced understanding of bullying and its effects on students and the school climate.

• Development of practical strategies to address and prevent bullying.

• Strengthened empathy and solidarity among teachers and students.

• Creation of a collaborative agreement to promote a safe and respectful school environment.