“Protect yourself against bullying at school”: an art project to bring young people in Monaco together to tackle bullying at school

©Direction de la Communication / Stéphane Danna

With support from the Department of Education, Youth and Sport and the Ministry of the Interior, the “Protect yourself against bullying at school” project, proposed by Femmes Leaders Mondiales Monaco (FLMM) and the Victims of Criminal Offences Help Association (AVIP), has worked to raise awareness among nearly 100 secondary school pupils through art as a powerful means of prevention, dialogue and emotional processing.

The initiative ran every Thursday in November, as a nod to the National Day Against School Bullying. It brought together four well-known artists (INESSA, MOYA, MR One Teas and BELI), three associations (FLMM, AVIP, Pen Club) and four schools (FANB, Collège Charles III, Lycée Albert I and Lycée Rainier III).

 Programme of art activities

Each Thursday in November, the artists led activities in four Monegasque schools: 

•            On 7 November, INESSA (Inès Bensalah), Youth Director for the FLMM, the organisation behind the project, officially launched the programme in Ms De Rycke’s art class at Collège François d’Assise-Nicolas Barré (FANB) with 18 pupils, using the work Les Voix du Silence (The Voices of Silence). In this first activity, the pupils participated in a role-playing game which took the form of a theatrical play. They each chose to join one of four groups symbolising the aspects of bullying at school: the bullied, the bullies, the witnesses and the advisers. Each group explored its role using masks, in a symbolic way, giving the pupils an insight into the perspectives and emotions of each one. 

•            On 14 November, MOYA (Patrick Moya) led a workshop at Collège Charles III based around a group work inspired by his artistic world. The 37 5^ème (Year 8) pupils and their art teacher, Ms Eusebi, worked on an enormous artwork in class, drawing inspiration from Cirque de Moya (Moya’s Circus), using a joyful world to tackle a serious subject. During this session, the artist produced a personalised work for each participating pupil, a unique experience which delighted young and old alike. In return, the pupils presented him with drawings as a gesture of thanks. He also completed his work on the centre of the big top, which now has a masterly appearance. The group work strengthened the sense of community and learning to live together in harmony. 

•            On 21 November, MR One Teas (Anthony Alberti) worked with 21 pupils at Lycée Albert I on a group work focusing on bullying at school. Coming after three weeks of artistic and educational preparation with their art teacher, Mr Cuomo, the workshop was an opportunity to create a strong, engaged piece. By combining their efforts, the pupils showed that together, we feel less alone in dealing with our emotions. This activity highlighted the power of collaboration and the real impact that art has on sensitive issues. 

•            On 28 November, BELI (Bélinda Bussotti) concluded the programme at Lycée Rainier III. The artist worked with 21 pupils in Ms Brand’s art class to explore the role of love, self-acceptance and the celebration of differences by creating an artwork featuring her famous “little fellows”. This final stage emphasised the importance of positive emotions when expressing our pain.

The importance of art and collaboration

The “Protect yourself against bullying at school” project is truly a virtuous circle of education, collaboration, prevention, awareness and emotional processing through artistic creativity. By drawing on the expertise of local organisations and professionals from a variety of sectors, it forms part of a human circle approach, creating links between artists, associations, educational institutions and pupils. By focusing on artistic expression, this initiative offered young people a platform where they were able to learn to talk about bullying at school and to live better together, thereby passing on the values of respect, love and solidarity to the next generation of Monegasque leaders.

Each of the four artworks produced at the schools will continue to be displayed on site, demonstrating the commitment of the schools and pupils in taking action against this scourge. The four frescoes will soon be brought together in a coffee-table book with text by the Monaco Pen Club, one of the project’s partners. The book will help to extend the impact of the initiative and raise broader awareness about efforts to tackle bullying at school.