How does our workshop work?
Unfortunately, bullying occurs in most schools at some point. Whether it is a major influence on school life or an occasional problem, Sussed workshops can be tailored appropriately.
The Sussed ethos is that very few bullies change their behaviour through punishment and being told that it’s wrong. We believe that making children aware of the real effects of their behaviour is far more effective.
We prefer to work on a class by class basis. We create a safe and fun environment initially using drama games and exercises. These instigate discussion sessions around the issues of interaction and bullying. Sussed believes it important to define what bullying is and is not. We facilitate a safe group dynamic that encourages honest discussion with particular emphasis on the emotions involved on both sides of a bullying situation.
Our experience demonstrates that most children have no idea that their behaviour can cause the distress and lasting harm that it often does. We’ve found that most responsible for such behaviour react genuinely positive when gently confronted with the emotional result of their actions. We’ve had many unforced confessions and genuine apologies in our sessions which have shown the effectiveness of our workshops to both ourselves and the schools involved.
We aim to leave the class united against tolerating bullying. We encourage them to agree on appropriate ways in which they will challenge it and report it if necessary. We provide a detailed report of each class session. Previous schools have found it very useful to hear how the children view their experience of bullying individually, as a class and how they believe it is dealt within the school.
