World Cafe Event - Dublin City University - Anti-Bullying Research Centre

Illustration created by Robyn Deasy

Have you ever heard of a World Café? I hadn’t… well, not until I attended one with the team at Dublin City University’s Anti-Bullying Research Centre.

Imagine a café where the menu isn’t lattes and croissants but big, juicy ideas. Well that’s the World Café, a big brainstorming session disguised as a chill around the table coffee chat. Picture small groups huddled around tables, doodling on paper, passing around insights like sugar cubes, and brewing up collective wisdom with every conversation.

On Tuesday, November 12th 2024, DCU’s Anti-Bullying Research Centre transformed The Helix into a buzzing ideas café. Sixty post-primary students pulled up chairs, grabbed their thinking caps, and dove straight into a World Café session designed to strike up conversations around Bullying Behaviour.

The day was split into three interactive sessions, and students rotated between tables, serving up fresh perspectives on themes like bullying, parental involvement, online kindness, and digital drama.

World Cafe - Addressing Bullying Behaviour

At first, getting the students to open up was like trying to coax a shy turtle out of its shell, hesitant and a little uncertain, which was quite normal. However, our team at DCU Anti-Bullying Centre knew just how to get the conversation flowing. With a mix of gentle prompts, engaging questions, and a few icebreakers, we created a space where students felt comfortable sharing their thoughts.

As the session warmed up, so did the discussions and soon, ideas were bouncing around the room. The students were speaking up with confidence, and very eager to contribute to the conversation on tackling bullying.

It was incredibly insightful to hear these student's perspectives on bullying, all while sharing experiences that were refreshingly honest. It was great to hear their stories, and the conversation flowed effortlessly.

Co-creating with young people can be challenging, especially when they are hesitant to open up or only share what they think adults want to hear. However, being in a group setting creates a more comfortable and supportive environment, allowing them to feel heard and express themselves more authentically.

It was a great day where everyone came together to share ideas and perspectives on tackling bullying, both online and offline. The collaboration and creativity of young people, researchers, and experts created a powerful space for meaningful discussions and innovative solutions.

Following the event, DCU Anti-Bullying Centre published a report of the findings from the day, which was shared with Centre stakeholders and used to help inform the direction of future research. To find out more about this report click here to see the World Café on Addressing Bullying Behaviour report. You can also find more info -Here - DCU Anti-Bullying Research Centre.

The event was supported by the Department of Education, Rethink Ireland, UNESCO, and Coimisiún na Meán.

Teresa Di Manno