KiVa Bullying Prevention NZ

About

KiVa is the first evidence based anti-bullying programme to be offered in New Zealand schools through Accent Learning.

Story

KiVa is an innovative school-based anti-bullying programme which has been developed using cutting-edge research on bullying and its mechanisms. It is always for the whole school and is ongoing. A KiVa school is always a KiVa school.

Prevention, intervention, and monitoring

KiVa is an evidence-based programme designed to prevent bullying and to tackle the cases of bullying effectively. Prevention and intervention are both crucial, as no prevention efforts will make bullying disappear once and for all. Schools need tools to be utilised when a case of bullying comes to light. The third aspect of KiVa is constant monitoring of the situation in one’s school and the changes taking place over time; this is enabled by the online tools included in KiVa. These tools produce annual feedback for each school about their implementation of the program as well as the outcomes obtained.

The main components of KiVa

KiVa includes both universal and indicated actions. The universal actions, such as the KiVa curriculum (student lessons and online games), are directed at all students and focus mainly on preventing bullying. There are direct links to the New Zealand Curriculuum (NZC) Essential Learning Areas and the Key Competencies. The indicated actions are to be used when a bullying case has emerged. They are targeted specifically to the children and adolescents who have been involved in bullying as perpetrators or victims, as well as to several classmates who are challenged to support the victim; the aim is to put an end to bullying.

KiVa is based on decades of research on bullying and its mechanisms

KiVa was developed at the University of Turku in Finland, with funding from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. Its developers are experts who have been studying the phenomenon of bullying and its mechanisms for decades. The team is led by PhD, Professor Christina Salmivalli and PhD, Special Researcher Elisa Poskiparta.