Garda Upstander Training: Experience Preventing School Bullying and Developing Students’ Prosocial Behavior

The purpose of this article is to explain the experiences of Indonesian junior high school students who participated in the “Garda Upstander Training/GUP”. The GUP was designed to promote students’ prosocial behavior. Thirty students of an Islamic junior high school in grades 7, 8, and 9 attended the GUP. There were 15 boys and 15 girls which aged 13 until 15 years old who intended to create a safe school environment from bullying. This one-session training program was conducted by a supervised team of master students of Educational Psychology. The training included presentation of materials, group discussion, video screening, role playing, and creation of anti-bullying posters and campaign videos. The data of participants experience was collected through a written open-ended questions form to explore students' experiences and understanding of bullying, the role of the upstander, and the development of empathy and prosocial behavior. The program integrates a cognitive approach through material presentation and an experiential learning approach through interactive activities. Analysis of student reflections revealed a deeper understanding of the types of bullying and an awareness of the importance of the upstander role in preventing bullying. This study provides in-depth insight into the development of a school-based anti-bullying program that emphasizes the development of pro-social behavior.