Teachers and other educational professionals often encounter children in their work who are rejected by their peers, teased for their differences, or are victims of physical violence. Feelings of rejection, fear, shame, and anger are just some of the consequences that these children may experience. It is important to know that these children cannot fully stand up to violence on their own. It is up to adults - parents, teachers, professionals - to become sensitive to this serious problem and not allow any form of violence to live in school corridors and leave an impact on children's development. 

The frequent use of the internet and social media has brought many positive, but also negative social changes and habits. Online platforms provide a space for a new form of peer-to-peer violence, namely - cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying with the use of digital technologies. It can take place on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones. It is repeated behaviour, aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted. Face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying can often happen alongside each other. But cyberbullying leaves a digital footprint – a record that can prove useful and provide evidence to help stop the abuse.

By timely identifying, stopping, and preventing violence, we provide help to children to overcome the consequences of violence, send them a clear message that their well-being is important to us, and that we live in a society that does not tolerate violence in any form.

In addition to the cyberbullying, social media, video games, and similar internet "products" pose a risk for the development of so-called behavioral addictions. Behavioral addictions represent a relatively new phenomenon in social sciences. In recent years, there has been more intensive research and engagement in this "type" of addiction, and the most commonly studied areas are addiction to gambling, the internet, video games, sex, sexual content, and shopping. What complicates the "identification" of behavioural addictions is certainly the fact that they involve legal, desirable, and often healthy behaviours and habits (for example, shopping, using the internet, exercising, etc.). The question arises of how and where to draw the line when some "normal" and usual behavior becomes an addiction, or which criteria need to be met for some behavior to be considered an addiction?

The entire course is designed in such a way that, in addition to theoretical background, concrete workshops and activities are presented that the participants can later apply in their schools, imply them in preventive programs or in daily activities in teaching.

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The main topics of our course are:

•          theoretical background - bullying and behavioral addictions

•          warning signs – bully and victime 

•          risk and protective factors

•          identification, prevention and early interventions