DCU Anti-Bullying Centre Launches Education Programme for Sports Coaches

On June 14, 2024, DCU Anti-Bullying Centre hosted a significant event marking the culmination of the Erasmus+ funded BeFore project. This initiative focuses on improving educational training programs for coaches, trainers, teachers, and managers to enhance their skills in dealing with bullying, particularly in sporting contexts. The project has developed a comprehensive, far-reaching, and interdisciplinary online course offering evidence-informed insights on preventing and responding to bullying.

The event was opened by Prof. James O'Higgins Norman, DCUs UNESCO Chair on Bullying, and he was followed by a presentation by the BeFore team (Dylan Pidgeon, Neil O'Boyle,  and Brendan O'Keeffe), showcasing the main outcome of the project: the BeFore online training course on anti-bullying in sports. This was followed by keynote presentations from esteemed national and international experts in the field of inclusion in sport.

Declan O’Leary, Head of Coaching Services in Sport Ireland, was the first keynote speaker. He provided insights into evidence-informed inclusive coaching practices. Dr. Gus Ryrie of Liverpool John Moores University followed with a detailed discussion on developing contextually relevant coach research beyond practice, emphasising the need for co-creation and effective dissemination. The final presentation was delivered by Dr. Elisa Bisagno from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, who spoke on ‘Can Coaches do the Trick? Psycho-educational Guidelines to Promote Inclusive Sports Environments’.

The online course on anti-bullying education for coaches includes three modules on understanding, preventing and responding to bullying. The course is free and available in German, Spanish, English and Swedish.

You can sign up for the online course on the website https://antibullyingcentre.ie/before/training-course/