The STAND UP project aimed to achieve the following objectives: To provide VET teachers, educators and professionals, especially in Basic VET and IVET, with tools that enable them to understand the process of cyberbullying, recognise the signs in the classroom and understand how they can collaborate in their fight against it. To equip VET educators with tools to share with their students the knowledge necessary to understand cyberbullying and its consequences. To equip VET educators with tools and skills to help their students in case of risk of cyberbullying or how to deal with cyberbullying. To create tools that support social inclusion inside and outside the classroom, a positive environment in VET classrooms, with teachers, trainers and VET professionals being a channel for change and improvement. Support the use of an innovative and digital approach to support pedagogical change in VET. Provide trainers and learners with tools to respond to cyberbullying, which has increased in the aftermath of COVID-19. Support the continuing education of VET educators. Promote the creation of VET classrooms that ensure tolerance and a positive working environment, both among students themselves and between students and teachers.
STAND UP aimed to put an end to cyberbullying in both BVET and iVET. Although there is a fight against cyberbullying in the European Union, there are still gaps; such as the list of national agencies to contact in case of being a victim of cyberbullying, available in the COE, which includes half of the countries present in this proposal (IE and EL). Being a practice focused on young people, most of the studies and materials that exist target children under 16. However, UNICEF (2017) shows that bullying increases with age, and thus, VET students aged 16 to 20 need tools to help them in this area. Also, teachers, trainers and staff in VET schools need to be able to manage cyberbullying crises. STAND UP aimed to fill the gap in training and tools for both VET teachers and students, whether they are victims or witness it, to know how to act. One of the tools to help students suffering from cyberbullying will be an app to quickly access the regional or national contact, and tools to raise awareness among students to fight cyberbullying. Due to COVID-19 and restrictions, students have used the Internet as a means of contact with their peers, leading to a higher percentage of students being cyberbullied (even 70% more than before COVID).