Fighting Bullying: San Juan Bautista School Wins Valenciano Council Award for Anti-Bullying Project

Colegio San Juan Bautista in Torrent, Valencia, received the Valencian Council of Schools' award for its educational project "Dime, Andrés," aimed at preventing bullying and developing students' skills to recognize and respond to bullying. The project was developed by the students themselves with the support of teachers and, according to the school, helped 87% of participants better understand how to identify bullying situations and where to seek help.

The award comes amid the persistent urgency of the problem. According to the Council of Education, the Valencian Community records over 1,000 official reports of school bullying and cyberbullying annually, although experts emphasize that the actual number of incidents is higher due to underreporting and late reporting. According to data from regional education inspectorates and support service calls, the province of Alicante accounts for approximately 30-35% of all reported cases of autonomy, making it one of the most vulnerable areas in terms of the number of reports.

At the national level, the Ministry of Education and ANAR Foundation reports indicate that 6-9% of schoolchildren in Spain have experienced systematic bullying, with over 15,000 reports related to bullying in the educational environment recorded annually. Around a third of victims seek help from teachers, highlighting the key role of schools in the early detection of conflicts.

In response to this problem, the Valencian Community is implementing "tolerance protocols": mandatory prevention plans in schools, teacher training, school mediation, and anonymous reporting channels. The award, presented to San Juan Bautista, is considered by the School Council as an example of effective practice that can be scaled up in other educational institutions in the region.