Abstract:

Bullying, violence, aggression, and rejection among children in institutions of the preschool and school education system are problems that concern all parties in the field of education on a daily basis, but the importance of the issue is mostly related to providing a safe environment for optimal mental and physical development of children and adolescents. The subject of this report is the various dimensions and forms of bullying – physical, mental, verbal, rejection, and cyberbullying in cyberspace, as well as the indisputable harms of bullying and violence. Bullied children experience guilt, shame, anxiety, and depressive symptoms are a common consequence of bullying. In preschool and school education institutions, children who are bullied by their peers and classmates often have no friends and are rejected, resulting in feelings of loneliness and abandonment. The negative consequences are mostly related to mental health, but they also affect academic achievement, motivation and the desire for personal development.

In Bulgaria at present there is a developed mechanism for counteracting bullying and violence in institutions of the preschool and school education system. The report aims to support institutions in their efforts and aspirations to create a safe and secure educational environment. It covers two parts – the first part, which defines the concepts, is informative, and the second illustrates actions related to prevention and intervention.

The educational environment is a place where children spend the bulk of their time interacting with their peers. However, building meaningful relationships is not easy to achieve. It depends on a number of factors, such as the individual’s personality traits, perceptions, social skills, and competencies that help build effective interactions. In this report, we draw attention to the topic of friendship as a protective factor against the occurrence and negative impact of bullying and violence on the mental and physical health and development of children.

Keywords:

Bullying, violence, aggression, educational environment, friendship, quality of friendship, experiential learning, bullying prevention, risk assessment.