**6. An Italian example of preventing bullying: the "Mediamente Bullo" project**

The "Mediamente Bullo" ("average bully") is a pilot project for preventing bullying. It is based on two important theoretical backgrounds:

**1.** Morgagni's theoretical approach [64] that highlights and distinguishes the exogenous (socio-economic and cultural context) factors from endogenous (internal conditions). First, the social and cultural contexts play a very important role in establishing norms of behavior and also of social cooperation because people who break the social norms of the group may be subjected to punishment or normative sanction by other ingroup members [65–67]. It has been shown by recent studies that it is transcultural behavior [65–67]. Second, the internal condition represents a very important aspect because it considers psychological characteristic, such as personality, empathy, ability of problem solving and so on, resources useful to cope the conflict.

Morgagni [64] considered both of these aspects to be more effective. On the one hand, it can create a positive social environment by encouraging the integration of all students and avoiding the marginalization that often causes school dropouts, and on the other hand, it positively affects personal resources.

in which the trainer points out importance of emotional aspects (in particular what role could anger have and begins to explain what empathy is). This leads to considerate the conflict not necessarily a negative situation but it can become a new possibility to be both winners.

I Teach You to Quarrel - Empathy and Mediation: Tools for Preventing Bullying

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76882

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During the second meeting, the attention is focused on communicational aspects and through examples and stories he talks about relationships, prejudices, observation and needs. Then he highlights why it is important to know how to communicate their emotions and how to change point of view, to understand the other's emotions. At the end of the meeting, a short movie called "The Cookie Thief" is watched and discussed (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=NK3WYvwbFrQ&t=43s). This meeting focuses on the change point of view about each member of classroom group and interpersonal relationships. The aim is to discover and better understand more positive qualities of each student belonging to own classroom. The ability to know and recognize more positive aspects about others represents a very important resource for preventing and better managing the conflict. This meeting can change point of view, trying to understand and feel the others, emphatic experience. This also allows for more

The last meeting is focused on mediation: the trainer presents it as the best conflict management tool and argues highlighting emotional aspects and the role of empathy, according to previous meetings. In the last part of the meeting, through different role playing, some kids can experience himself as a mediator or as a litigant [56]. In particular, this meeting focuses on two components. The first is to develop and improve communication skills, learning this expertise can have many benefits. For example, it can help better report feelings and thoughts experienced or those of other people, and to stay in own emotions to understand those of others. Furthermore, it can mean to try not to be judgmental or biased by preconceived ideas or beliefs—instead can help to view situations and responses from the other person's perspective. The second is to represent the different way of reacting to conflicts. This meeting considers role playing and discussion of real episodes experienced in own

After the explanation of who is the mediator and his role in a conflict, students improve their

In this meeting, the points are: empathy (to share and understand emotional states of others), neutrality (to identify causes, discussing them and practicing nonviolent methods and behaviors). It concludes with the graphic representation and explanation of what is and how

At the end of the path, all actors involved in this project discover different and new aspect about themselves and others. This can represent a possible tool for preventing any form of

skills trying to manage example of problematic situation of conflict.

**6.2. Second meeting: before the conflict**

inclusion rather than social exclusion.

**6.3. Third meeting: after the conflict**

it works, step by step, a mediation.

violence, in particular bullying.

classroom.

**2.** The concept of mediation, conceptualized as concrete instrument to manage conflict and to avoid escalation. Through mediation students can meet themselves in front of a third person, mediator, impartial about the conflict (Morineau, 2004; Morineau 2010). Mediator must not judge them, interprets the two point of views, that of the two students and what they tell and give them advices in order only students to be able to find the best solution [56].

In line with these theoretical backgrounds, the "Mediamente Bullo" project is applied in 15 lower schools, in Piedmont region of Italy. A total of 1100 students were recruited (658 males; mean age = 13.6; SD = 0.53). For each of lower school, three classrooms of third-year students were involved. Data were collected in 2017.

The aim of this project was to teach the conflict management, in particular for bullying, using their own personal energies in order to create positive interpersonal relationships among students.

The project also intends to be a response to requests of schools for bullying on three levels:


This project responds to two needs for bullying, prevention and intervention. In the first step, it was possible to form all scholastic actors (students, teachers, parents etc.) about this phenomenon and its effect on interpersonal relationships. Then, in a path consisting of three meetings for each class, students and teachers have learned and experienced in class as resolving conflicts using mediation and empathy processes applying them to classroom relationships. During Mediamente Bullo, made up of three meetings that last 2 h, in the class there is a trainer (professional mediator) and the teacher who do not play an active role usually.

In detail:

#### **6.1. First meeting: conflict**

After a brief introduction to the path of project, it worked on the meaning of the word conflict and the other words associated with it. In fact, the first meeting is focused on the meaning of "conflict": kids write their ideas, then they match with their bench mate to reach an agreement. In this way, they experience what a conflict is. After that, there is a plenary discussion in which the trainer points out importance of emotional aspects (in particular what role could anger have and begins to explain what empathy is). This leads to considerate the conflict not necessarily a negative situation but it can become a new possibility to be both winners.
