KiVa-koulutus, kaksi iloista naista

The KiVa antibullying program spreads around the world from Turku

– The best part is seeing trainers from all over the world realize that bullying can actually be prevented – and that there are research-based methods to do it.

This is how Anna Murgo, KiVa trainer and project coordinator, describes her work. Over the past few years, she has helped train almost all international KiVa trainers in Turku.

At the end of September, the University of Turku was once again filled with lively international discussion, as teachers and trainers from five countries gathered to learn about the KiVa antibullying program.

This year, 11 new trainers from Ireland, Latvia, Belgium, Germany, and Peru participated in the week-long training. They will become certified KiVa trainers who bring the program’s principles and practices to schools in their own countries.

Kiva-koulutus, kuvituskuva

Picture: KiVa trainers Anna Murgo (on the left) and Katja Linnaranta on a training session in Turku, September 2025

During the training, we dive deep into the core of the program – how to prevent bullying, how to intervene constructively, and how to monitor the results. We even go through the detailed steps of the discussions used to resolve bullying situations – and practice them in real time, Murgo explains. Pedagogical and learner-centered methods become very tangible during the week.

Learning, discussion, and the everyday life of Finnish schools

During the week, participants also visit Cygnaeus School in Turku to observe a KiVa lesson, and to learn about the Finnish school system and student welfare practices.

Many are surprised by how strongly Finland emphasizes community and peer interaction among students. It makes a real impression – and sparks ideas about how similar structures could be built elsewhere, says Katja Linnaranta, also a KiVa trainer and project coordinator at the University of Turku.

Feedback from the international trainings has been overwhelmingly positive. New trainers return home motivated and ready to promote KiVa thinking in their own contexts.

Kiva-koulutus, ryhmä ihmisiä istuu sohvaryhmän ympärillä.

KiVa is now in 25 countries – and still growing

The KiVa antibullying program is an evidence-based anti-bullying program developed at the University of Turku. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in large randomized controlled trials.

Today, KiVa is implemented in over 1,600 schools outside Finland and about 800 in Finland, reaching nearly 780,000 students worldwide.

The first international KiVa trainers were trained in Turku in 2014. Currently, there are around 200 active trainers in different countries, and nearly 400 professionals have been trained at the University of Turku in total. The program materials have been translated into 17 languages, and new partner countries join every year.

That’s an enormous number of children and young people whose school days have become safer and more inclusive thanks to KiVa. Every trained teacher is part of a global change that makes schools better places for everyone,” Linnaranta sums up.

KiVa-koulutus, maailman kartta, johon on merkitty, missä maissa KiVa on käytössä

Research-based program, proven results

The KiVa antibullying program is based on pioneering research led by Professor Christina Salmivalli, carried out at the University of Turku since the early 1990s. The work has received multiple national and international awards – including the Finnish Science Award (2017) and the European Crime Prevention Award (2009).

Extensive studies and meta-analyses from different countries consistently show that KiVa reduces bullying and improves school well-being. The program has achieved excellent results in Finland as well as in countries such as the Netherlands, Chile, Italy, New Zealand, and Estonia.

Although school cultures differ, the mechanisms of bullying are surprisingly similar everywhere. That’s why the solutions can also be shared, Murgo notes.

Kiva-koulutus, kaksi naista.

Building a culture of care and community

KiVa is not just a set of tools – it’s a whole-school approach that builds a culture where everyone cares about one another and takes responsibility for the atmosphere.

Ultimately, it’s about ensuring that no child is left alone. KiVa is a promise that every child has the right to a safe school day – anywhere in the world, Murgo concludes.

Kiva-koulutus, ryhmäkuva uusista KiVa-kouluttajista

Picture: New KiVa trainers with certificates at the end of the training days in Turku. They will now implement the method in their coutries.

Facts: KiVa antibullying program in Brief

  • Developed at the University of Turku
  • First randomized controlled trial 2007–2009, over 30,000 children and adolescents
  • Implemented in 25 countries and 17 languages
  • Around 2,400 schools worldwide
  • Over 780,000 students reached
  • Recipient of several international awards