Introducing The Stand Up Project
Peninsula Grammar has partnered with The Stand Up Project (SUP) to bring its award-winning student leadership program to our school community. This program empowers students to become ‘upstanders’ against bullying, discrimination, and harassment.
These leadership positions are open to students in Years 10 and 11 and give participants a genuine opportunity to help shape a positive and respectful culture across the School.
The 2026 SUP leaders are a group of 27 senior students who applied for these roles and were selected for their commitment to making a difference.
The program is student-led, placing student voice, agency, and leadership at its core. By helping students move from bystanders to upstanders, the initiative encourages greater understanding, respect, and inclusion throughout the School community.
Term 2 Achievements
The SUP program is overseen by Dr Zach Greig, who provides expert training and guidance to our SUP leaders throughout the year. Supported by the Head of Respectful Relationships, the leaders have had a busy and impactful Term 2, attending two training sessions and delivering two evening sessions for parents and staff.
Leaders attended an intensive training session with the Dr Zach where they explored the drivers of bullying, the impact of the bystander effect, and the most age appropriate ways to support targets of poor behaviour.
Drawing on this training, the students then prepared and delivered an evening session for parents, sharing what they had learned and offering practical ideas for families about how to support a child who has experienced bullying and encourage upstanding behaviours at home and at school.
To prepare for their work with Year 7 students, the leaders attended a workshop facilitated by Skye Hughes from the Youth Engagement Project. During the session, Skye encouraged students to draw on their strengths and build confidence in public speaking and facilitation. The leaders will use these skills to engage authentically with Year 7 students and make a meaningful impact.
In the final week of Term 2, our leaders stepped up again with the daunting task of presenting to the entire school staff in Ansett Hall. Here they shared personal stories of their experiences at school and spoke about how they would like teachers to respond to bullying behaviours they observe.
They challenged staff to notice the more subtle forms of exclusion and harassment that can go unseen, and to model the kind of upstanding behaviour we want to see in our classrooms and playgrounds. Their message was clear: when adults and students work together, everyone can play a role in reducing bullying and building a culture of respect.
Looking ahead to Term 3
In Term 3, the leaders will bravely step into the Year 7 classrooms. Having designed and developed their lesson plans they will deliver two lessons to each Year 7 Mentor class aimed at equipping young people with practical ways to challenge poor behaviour and support their peers using upstander techniques.
Lessons will focus on the very simple yet practical strategies that younger students can use such as checking in on peers, directly calling out inappropriate behaviour, seeking help from trusted adults, and refusing to join in with hurtful behaviour.
This year there is a formal evaluation connected to the program with researchers from Monash University evaluating each step to better understand the impact of the program on the Leaders, staff, and younger students. We look forward to hearing the results.
Suzanne Penhall
Head of Respectful Relationships