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Wednesday September 27, Gabriel Attal presented measures to combat school bullying. The government is notably planning empathy courses based on the Danish model. Report from Denmark, where this method has proven itself.
Drawings on his neighbor’s back… Little Danish students, in CP class, engage in this ritual every week. These small gestures are part of the empathy course. The goal of the exercise is to learn to use affectionate gestures to be good friends. The main tool is the classroom teddy bear. “If someone starts crying, you hand them the teddy bear.”explains a little girl.
Convincing results
In Denmark, empathy lessons are compulsory from a young age. “When they are very young, children are not naturally kind […]so we must incorporate the notion of empathy very early“, says Michelle Kelly, a teacher. The Danish system focuses on preventing harassment. Empathy is also taught to adolescents, who are often tempted to use social media to speak ill of others. So, 95% students say they accept themselves as they are.