Stopp Valden was instigated in 1995 after 17 year old Andreas Stavseth was shot in the street in Oslo, and the ensuing programme has the aim to stop violence and bullying in all its forms. On Thursday 4th April, members of our Red Cross Youth Group were invited to speak at Dale VGS as part of their Safe Russetid programme. We represented Fjaler Red Cross in talking about the Stopp Valden programme, by three members of the youth group: Maja (Norway), Juan Pablo (USA), and Devina (Indonesia), along with Red Cross Coordinator Avis Rolfe (UK). They addressed the following questions:
• Do you see inclusion round you? How do you include others?
• What creates a safe environment?
• How can we respect people’s boundaries at russetid?
• What is bullying?
It was great to see that a good number of people already feel like the school is an inclusive and welcoming place, but the activity also highlighted different perspectives that exist on this topic. Hopefully the session gave the participants a pause for thought when approaching russetid, and a moment to reflect on making the celebrations safe and inclusive for everyone.
