A boy comes into an empty playground and sits on the swing. A large fat boy chases him off the swing and sits on it. But he then can’t reach the ground with his feet and forces the smaller boy to push him. The boy pushes him harder and harder until the larger boy gets scared – eventually he pushes him so hard that he falls off the swing. After this the smaller boy has to run away because the larger boy wants to get him. 

So what makes this film suitable for a discussion on the story of Joseph?

This film is a small example of what happens between Joseph and his brothers. Little Joseph tells on his big brothers to his father, and the big brothers hate Joseph, shut him out and don’t even talk to him. There is bad behaviour and bullying on both sides.

Important questions:

It’s important to always watch the film yourself beforehand and to ask yourself:

- do I want to show this to the children?
- does this film work in the context and age-range of the children I am working with?

If you choose to show this YouTube video, we suggest you use the following steps:

Bullying hurts

What do you need:
- two pieces of fruit and a knife. One of the pieces of fruit must be damaged or rotten on the inside without this showing on the outside. This could work with an apple or pear, or avocado

What do you do:
Tell the children that on the one hand Joseph was spoilt by his father and bullied by his brothers. Read Genesis 37:4 aloud to the children. Tell them that his brothers wouldn’t even talk to Joseph any more. It even says that they never talked to him again. This shutting someone out is a form of bullying. Show the children what impact this must have had on Joseph by using the following object lesson:

Pass two apples (or other fruit) round the group – on the surface these apples look alike. However make sure that one of them is bruised without it showing on the surface. Ask the children to say nice things to one of the apples (the good one) and hurtful things or nothing to the other apple (the damaged one). When they have done this, cut open the fruit. The apple that received all the compliments looks whole and undamaged on the inside while the apple that was rejected is damaged on the inside. Bullying always has consequences even though you might not see it on the outside.

Watch the video ‘Swing’ with each other

Make sure that you download the video on your laptop or pc before you show it to the children / teenagers. If you rely on the wifi in the premises, there is chance that the internet connection won't work.

You can download any YouTube video using:

www.safefrom.net
www.keepvid.com

What do you know about bullying? 

What do you need:
- for each group of children you need an A4 with the word ‘RIGHT’ on it, and an A4 with the word ‘WRONG’. 

What do you do:
Split the group into groups of about four or five children

Each group has to answer 15 questions with ‘RIGHT’ or ‘WRONG’. When you have asked a question ask them to put the A4 with their answer on it upside down on the ground in front of them until each group has given their answer. Then you can ask them to show their answer group for group.

The questions:
- bullies and victims are usually in the same class at school (right)
- most children tell their parents if they are being bullied (wrong)
- it’s mostly girls who are bullied (wrong)
- roughly one in four children are regularly bullied (right)
- bullying is a form of abuse  (right) 
- teasing is the same as bullying (wrong)
- if people are being bullied then the whole class is at fault (right)
- as long as someone who is being bullied doesn’t cry then it’s ok (wrong)
- it’s cool to bully someone (wrong)
- if someone is being bullied you have to help them as a group (right)
- some children look so stupid or act so stupidly that they deserve to be bullied (wrong)
- saying nasty things to someone isn’t as bad as hitting them (wrong)
- people who are bullied are afraid of the bully (right)
- it gives some children a good feeling when they make other children scared and hurt them (right)
- bullying is always wrong (right)

You might need to explain some of the answers. Don’t be afraid to keep asking questions if some of the answers are unexpected.