A video clip can be a very effective way of bringing attention to bullying behaviour and the solutions to ending such behaviour. If well made, a short video clip has a strong impact on the viewer and arouses strong feelings the students feel a need to talk about. As the media is an integral part of young people's lives today, a short video clip grabs easily young people's attention and are therefore excellent warmer-ups before discussion about bullying and intolerance.
2. OUR EMB EXPERIENCE
In the 5th Module all partners tried to find short video clips, preferably from their own country, which were related to the topic of bullying in order to create reference lists. Each partner school chose a video clip to represent their country and wrote a review for it. The video clips were presented in the 5th short-term training session in Belgium, January 2016.
The students in all partner schools used the same worksheet and answered the same questions when discussing their chosen video clip (see worksheet):
Describe the video (plot) giving some information for its background
How does it relate to the issues of bullying, isolation, discrimination or violence?
Describe different emotions you have when you saw this video
Why did you choose it to represent your country? What made you like it so much?
In many of the videos chosen by the EMB partners the role of the upstanders becomes evident. Many videos also have an optimistic message, often showing young people standing up for a victim and making a difference. But some video clips also raise awareness of bullying being a very serious matter which can harm a person for life and even lead to suicide.
At the end of this document you will find a long reference list with links to YouTube clips recommended by the EMB partners. Some video clips are in the national language of the partners, others are in English.
3. SKILLS ACQUISITION
In many of the video clips, the important value of empathy is conveyed. With the help of these video clips, the teacher can help students develop stronger empathic skills and the courage to reach out for other human beings in need. We can never talk enough about the importance of treating people with kindness and respect.
4. WHEN TO USE YOUTUBE REVIEWS
As the video clips are rather short, they are excellent warmer-ups before a discussion about bullying and the importance of standing up for other people. Short video clips can engage students and spark a conversation. Many of the video clips can easily be used as inspiration for role play and creative writing.
