Partners: a program for the prevention and intervention of bullying in Colombia

Abstract

This study presents the results of the implementation of an intervention program to prevent and mitigate bullying, based on the strengthening of socio-emotional skills, developed in an official educational institution in the municipality of San Juan de Pasto, located in southern Colombia. This study has a mixed approach, the quantitative approach was developed through a quasi-experimental design of pre-post measurements and the qualitative one through the systematization of experiences from an ethno-educational perspective. 31 students between 12 and 15 years of age, who were in the seventh grade of Secondary Education, participated. The program consists of eight sessions, which included individual and group activities aimed at strengthening social skills. The quantitative results suggest a greater decrease in the prevalence of the role of aggressor and aggressor-victimized, compared to a smaller change in the role of victimization, in turn the qualitative results show an increase in the recognition of the dynamics of bullying and a greater use of socio-emotional skills by the participants in the educational context, which accounts for the improvement of interpersonal relationships between students and the promotion of a healthy coexistence.