On 21st July during a visit to Meta in Dublin, DCUs UNESCO Chair, Prof. James O’Higgins Norman was invited to brief the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) on DCU’s FUSE Anti-Bullying and Online Safety Programme for Schools. The FUSE programme is a research based programme for primary and post-primary schools that is designed to comply with UNESCO’s Whole Education Approach to Tackling Bullying and Cyberbullying. The meeting was also attended by Darran Heaney, Director of Engagement and Innovation in DCU Anti-Bullying Centre, who outlined to the meeting how the programme was delivered to schools all over Ireland and the challenges that had to be overcome in ensuring the programme is available to all schools. FUSE was developed with financial support from Meta, Rethink Ireland, and the Department of Education.

How FUSE works

FUSE has 14 workshops designed to increase confidence in young people’s ability to identify and deal with bullying situations in person and online, either as a victim or bystander, how to take appropriate action to report these incidents and how to be safe online. It supports teachers as champions within each school, who can then educate students, fellow teachers, and parents, on how best to tackle a range of online and offline bullying issues and educate them on online safety.