What is Olweus Bullying Prevention Program?

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, or OBPP for short, is the most researched and best-known bullying prevention program available today. It was developed by Dan Olweus, Ph.D., of Norway. OBPP has over thirty-five years of research behind it and has been implemented throughout the world in countries such as the United States, Canada, England, Mexico, Iceland, Germany, Sweden, and Croatia, in addition to Norway.
 
OBPP is recognized by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence as one of only eleven Blueprints Model Programs and by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a Model Program—two of the highest honors a prevention program can attain. IOBPP has also received numerous awards from other organizations dedicated to addressing the issue of bullying and violence among children.

Key Audiences
OBPP is designed for students in elementary, middle, and junior high schools (students age five to fifteen years old). All students participate in most aspects of the program. Both students who bully others and students who are bullied receive additional individualized interventions.

OBPP is used at the school, classroom, and individual levels, and includes methods to reach out to parents and the community for involvement and support. School administrators, teachers, and other staff are primarily responsible for introducing and implementing the program. These efforts are designed to improve peer relations and make the school a safer and more positive place for students to learn and develop.

Program Goals
The goals of the program are:

• To reduce existing bullying problems among students
• To prevent the development of new bullying problems
• To achieve better peer relations at school

Click here for answers to these and other frequently asked questions.

What is bullying?

What are the different forms or kinds of bullying?

How does bullying differ from other types of aggression between students?

What causes bullying?

Why do some students bully? 

Scope & Sequence document