President’s Residence Forum Hopes to Start Anti-Bullying Pilot in 12 Cities in January

The national forum against bullying and social exclusion at the President’s Residence hopes to begin a pilot in 12 cities at the start of January, its chairman, Eyal Shviki, said in an interview published on November 5. Shviki, who is also director-general of the President’s Residence, described a program still being developed, with expansion to further municipalities intended to follow evaluation and refinement. “We hope to start a pilot in 12 cities at the beginning of January,” Shviki said. He described teaching materials available from first grade upward, built around awareness, prevention and involvement. The initiative’s website has separate routes for children, parents and educational staff, directing each group toward existing assistance. Shviki said the programs and the ways to assess them were still taking shape. He called for evaluation at the level of individual schools, reflecting differences between schools and cities. That assessment would help determine which tools to retain, change or remove before extending the work to additional municipalities. The forum’s official account says it has met regularly at the President’s Residence since January 2026, bringing together government professionals, civil-society organizations and student representatives. A national awareness campaign followed in September. The official website describes its role as an anonymous connection to existing responses: it does not collect personal information or manage treatment cases.