Bullying is a serious issue that has been addressed for many years. Schools work continuously to combat bullying, but parents and guardians also play a significant role in prevention by modelling kind and respectful behaviour.
– Small children learn to consider others from the adults around them. Young people, in turn, are influenced by their peers and by social media. It is the parents’ task to guide children to act together in ways that ensure no one is left out or subjected to bullying, says Tiina Piispanen, Project manager for the Towards a safe school initiative in the Tampere City Region.
Across Pirkanmaa, ongoing anti-bullying projects are seeking new ways to strengthen cooperation between homes and schools. The aim is to involve parents more actively than before in both preventing and addressing bullying.
– In January, we will organise a parents’ evening where parents can share their views. We want to hear their positive experiences and suggestions for solutions to this complex phenomenon. School staff will also take part in the event, Piispanen explains.
– Cooperation between home and school can be constructive even if a child has been involved in bullying. Supporting the bullied child is, of course, essential, but the child who has bullied may also need help. Our task is to identify the root causes of bullying, and this requires broader collaboration, she continues.
A dialogic parents’ evening for all parents and guardians in Pirkanmaa will take place on Tuesday 20 January 2026 at 5.30 pm. Registration for the Teams event is open until Sunday 11 January 2026: Registration form (in Finnish).
During the event, parents will be invited to propose ways to make cooperation more effective and impactful. Small-group discussions will explore the educational roles of home and school and consider how the school day can be made safer for everyone. The small-group discussions will be in Finnish, but you’re welcome to comment in English as well.
At the end of the evening, participants will jointly prepare a statement describing what successful cooperation between home and school can look like. This message will be shared with early childhood and basic education providers and taken into account in the development work of the projects.
The event will follow safer-space principles.
The dialogic parents’ evening is organised by three anti-bullying projects: Towards a safe school path (Finnish Parents’ League), Bullying-free South Pirkanmaa, and Towards a safe school (Tampere City Region).
