Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have listened to the contributions this afternoon. We talked abut words we like and words we are not such big fans of. For me, the word “bullying” does not really describe the extent of what we face sometimes. It does not seem to capture the seriousness. Two earlier contributions mentioned how bullying leads to suicidal ideation. That is the shocking horror faced by the children and families going through this.

With regard to many of the presentations we have had during recent meetings, I was trying to get to what a good place looks like. What does a good school environment look like? What does a proactive engagement with parents and other leaders in the community look like? Would some of our speakers like to give an example? I think Professor Hymel spoke about a play. In my mind, I have the idea that role plays in schools might be a way to let children know what to do if they encounter a bullying incident, whether they are bystanders, upstanders, the people perpetrating the bullying or the victims. As the witnesses mentioned, each of these groups suffer the long-term impacts of not taking action.

What does the perfect environment look like? Is there a place for role plays or plays in our school system to help identify the people to go to or people students might trust or, in general, because it happens all the time and to show students how to deal with it?