The Foundation’s Director of Programmes, Ángela Ulloa, participated in the ABC Education Forum on 17 September 2024, together with Benjamín Ballesteros from the Anar Foundation, Lorenzo Cooklin from the Mutua Madrileña Foundation, Sonsoles Gallo from the CEU Schools and Beatriz Martín from Fad Juventud, to discuss the issue of bullying at school.
They all debated the report published by the Mutua Madrileña Foundation and the Anar Foundation, which shows that 9.4% of pupils say that he/she or one of their classmates suffers bullying at school. ‘Bullying is a traumatic situation, an adverse experience that has a devastating effect on the child’s self-esteem and self-image, leading to changes in mood, sleep patterns, eating habits, stress, anxiety and sometimes suicidal thoughts or even suicide,’ said Ángela Ulloa during the forum.
In addition, the Director of Programmes of the Alicia Koplowitz Foundation pointed out the need to ‘work psychologically with all the people involved, victim and aggressor, because the latter tend to live in family environments or social situations with a lack of limits, emotional deficiencies, abuse, etc. The role of parents is key for them to internalise emotional regulation and control of impulsivity from an early age’.
Finally, Ulloa explained that there are protocols against bullying in each autonomous community: ‘All schools have access to them and when a case is suspected, all the machinery is set in motion to inform the Ministry of Education. Our Liaison Programme, in particular, provides teams of psychologists and psychiatrists who go to schools and advise teachers on how to act. The teacher talks to the parents and recommends whether the intervention of a mental health professional is necessary. There are families who are very receptive and very involved and others who are difficult to reach and get them to collaborate, which is a challenge because they are precisely the ones who need the most support’.
A very interesting and enriching day. Thanks to the ABC Education Forum for inviting us.