MaBasta

When adolescents are put in the first person against bullying, things can change. This is the case of the MaBasta-Anti-Bullying Movement association, founded in 2016 by the pupils of a first-rate class of the "Galilei-Costa-Scarambone" institute in Lecce. The group was born for a specific reason: at that time the news broadcasts reported the attempted suicide of a teenager who suffered repeated bullying. The fact greatly affects the students, who are confronted with their teachers. "Our computer science teacher has always told us that it is much better to do something, rather than stop at just talking about a situation," said the boys today, led by the student Mirko Cazzato. So they come together, first in an informal way, then in a more structured way.

Over the years, the MaBasta association has met thousands of students throughout Italy, with training and prevention initiatives and cultural events. On their website - mabasta.org - it is possible to report bullying incidents that occur in and out of schools. The answer is a help desk which, through experts and professionals, takes care of the situations indicated. Even the bully or the bulla can ask for help, always through the same platform, and be followed like the victims. MaBasta students have also made available to everyone the "MaBasta Model", a list of advice and actions against bullying and cyberbullying that can be replicated in every school in Italy.

There are two main rules: "Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you" and "Do to others what you would have them do to you". Among the concrete tools, students propose the introduction in each class of "Bulliziotti" and "Bulliziotte" which, explains the association, have the task of "keeping eyes and ears open to any bullying among their classmates. ". A call to responsibility that can involve everyone.

Chiara Vitali
NP Marzo 2022