The Onassis Foundation supports the national campaign against school violence: “STOP Bullying. Don’t tolerate bullying. Speak up. You can.”

Through the implementation of the campaign “STOP Bullying. Don’t tolerate bullying. Speak up. You can.” for the new platform of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, the Onassis Foundation aims to foster a collective network of information, understanding, and action. An alliance that encourages active listening and collaboration, serving as a vital “shield” against violence.

On Tuesday, April 9, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the 3rd High School of Polichni, Thessaloniki, to follow the presentation of the national strategy and information campaign for the fight against intra-school violence and bullying by the Minister of Education, Kyriakos Pierrakakis; the campaign was designed and implemented with the support of the Onassis Foundation.

As part of the presentation, the president of the Onassis Foundation, Anthony S. Papadimitriou, made the following statement: “The cycle of school violence can and must be broken. To make this possible, students, teachers, and parents must gain a voice – a voice, as well as a way to react. This voice must gain strength and become a distinct story of courage. It can thus act as a catalyst in this mindset change campaign, which is fully supported by the Onassis Foundation and its donation. It is actually this concept of the ‘catalyst’ that brings us all together in this initiative. In our history of approximately 50 years – next year, the Onassis Foundation will complete exactly half a century of activity, thanks to the legacy of Aristotle Onassis – we have always operated with the logic of the ‘catalyst’: We do not mean to suggest the changes, but rather to anticipate them. We do not simply undertake their financial support but embrace projects that concern our society and are in line with the Foundation’s principles.

The support provided by the Onassis Foundation to the Ministry of Education's campaign against school bullying draws on our vision for education. An education that doesn’t rule out anyone, an education that combats fear and combines knowledge with inclusion.

For the Onassis Foundation, the awareness campaign against school bullying is a matter of education and culture. This campaign is part of our effort to change mindsets on different matters: the rights of women and the LGBTQI+ community, climate crisis, vaccines, organ donation, or different serious social issues our society faces.”

Both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education expressed their gratitude to the Onassis Foundation for the “invaluable support in the campaign’s planning and implementation.”

The campaign that was created in collaboration and with funding by the Onassis Foundation, was executed by Ogilvy Greece. It has already went viral with millions of views in the first 24 hours on all social networks. On the Instagram account of the Onassis Foundation, the video was viewed more than 2 million times and has more than 40.000 likes and hundreds of positive comments.

To break the cycle of school violence, you need to speak up first. If you're a student or a parent of a student experiencing bullying at school, visit https://stop-bullying.gov.gr and file a report. Your school, along with a team of specialists, will handle your issue safely until it's resolved.