The Upper Franconian monastery of Banz is known as the site of the CSU retreat in the Bundestag as well as the Bavarian state parliament faction. In this rural remoteness - an ideal place for retreats - one expects talks and insights, which do not as easily occur in the every-day political business in Berlin or Munich.

The group of s6 Secondary School students from the European School Munich knew how to use the contemplative atmosphere of the place for themselves at this year's rhetoric seminar. Under the supervision of Dr. Michael Wagner and in the trusted cooperation with the Hanns-Seidel-Foundation, the three-day seminar was held from the 28th to 30th May 2018. Dr. Cornelia Wolfgruber has once again been appointed as trainer.

The concept follows a holistic approach. Rhetoric is the art of speech, but in order to be convincing speaker, voice and body language are as much a part of it as a well-founded positioning. In the technically well-equipped rhetoric studio it is possible to document the speakers by video and audio recordings, providing a basis for in-depth analysis that would be inconceivable in any classroom.

After the participants agreed on topics, they first worked on different basics of poise with the help of practical exercises. The next step was to prepare a role from which a speech is prepared in different contexts (discussion round, presentation). The main topics "legalization of soft drugs" and "euthanasia" did not seem unusual at first glance, but it was not primarily a matter of tackling complex issues (which may be left to lessons in classroom), but rather working on confident demeanor.

The actual goal was to enable each participant to find the presentation that best suits his or her personality. Naturally, this is a process, which cannot be fully completed within three days, but this seminar had surely been an inspiring und and encouraging impetus for it.

Bullying in schools is not a new phenomenon and takes many forms and should not be confused with short-term arguments. With the KiVa anti-bullying programme, the ESM Primary School pupils have been able to learn how they can help themselves and each other since 2015. This programme was founded on the initiative of a professor at the University of Turku in Finland. More than 1000 schools worldwide have already assigned to this programme.

Following its success in Primary School, we would also like to implement it in the Secondary School. For this purpose, the "KiVa Days" were held on the 2nd and 3rd May 2018. The use of KIVA has significantly reduced the incidence of bullying in the Primary School. However, it is a programme that contributes not only to the prevention of bullying, but also to the general improvement of the school climate and thus to an increase in willingness to learn. We would therefore like to expand the programme to the Secondary School and start next year with year S1.

The integrated concept of KiVa provides general preventive measures to be applied in class as well as specific approaches in acute cases of bullying or suspected bullying. During the KiVa lessons, mechanisms and consequences of bullying are demonstrated to the pupils. With interactive exercises and role plays, discussions and group work skills, pupils acquire knowledge and social skills in order to practise mutual respect and a peaceful way of living together on a daily basis.

The "KiVa Days", a network meeting of European KiVa schools, was held on the 2nd and 3rd May 2018. Lectures and workshops for KiVa teams and teachers as well as events for students were organised. A highlight was the deeply moving speech of the KiVa founder Christina Salmivalli as she described the dramatic consequences that can be caused by bullying, but also pointed out ways to prevent this.

Successfully counteracting bullying means having an observant perception, showing solidarity and acting with foresight and prudence. The KiVa anti-bullying programme offers concrete and practical methods, so that the social interaction at the school is lastingly and positively influenced.