Good advice is expensive, says Liselot Raat of the Drenthe Youth Advisory Council about the increase in bullying and discriminatory behavior in schools. “You have to look carefully at what the underlying reasons are.”
A quarter of students do not feel safe at secondary school, Trendbureau Drenthe and Social Planning Bureau Groningen concluded in a report this week. More than half of the students see forms of discrimination at school.
Facts on the table
“Shocking,” Raat calls the conclusions. “It’s actually twofold, because you know it happens, but when such a report comes out, you’re still shocked.” She is chairman of the Drenthe Youth Advisory Council, which advises the province on all kinds of matters that affect young people. “We will discuss this report in the council. Now that these facts are on the table, we cannot avoid doing something about it.”
“I am no longer in high school, but other members are. We will talk to them about this subject. And just like Trendbureau Drenthe, we also see that the climate in schools is hardening. There is a lot of peer pressure. Sometimes it’s bullying or being bullied. Of course, young people absolutely do not want to belong to the bullied group.”
LGBTI, i.e. being homosexual or transgender, is a hot topic in secondary schools, Raat knows. “There is a lot of bullying about that. Of course, this is absolutely not allowed in the Netherlands in 2024. But how teachers approach it goes in different directions. It also happens that teachers go too far and students feel that acceptance is being shoved down their throats. That’s not good either.”
Don’t patronize
The Youth Advisory Council also does not have a ready-made solution, she says. “It is very important that you do not patronize students and tell them that discrimination is not allowed. A workshop-like approach works better. Get students to think about their own behavior and attitudes toward people who are different.”
“You also need to know the underlying reasons for bullying and discrimination. For example, I read that students at Practical Schools outside school often receive nasty comments about their level of education. That is really different and requires a different approach than a boy who is bullied because he likes boys.”
Social media
Raat also thinks that schools should delve even more into the social media behavior of their students. “The social media know very well which videos young people like and that all kinds of extreme expressions score well. The fact is that young people do not just get their information from school.”
The researchers from Trendbureau Drenthe and Social Planning Office also note that bullying behavior and discrimination often go undiscussed among young people. “In any case, it is important that young people start talking about it and that they realize that this is not appropriate,” says Raat.
Tags: Drenthe Youth Advisory Council Tackling discrimination extremely difficult teachers
