Wellbeing - Whole School

Yesterday saw noted advocate for young men, Daniel Principe, present to Years 6-11 on the topic Championing Young People in a Digital World. I would like to commend the students in each of the cohorts for their thoughtful and respectful engagement with the topics that Daniel raised with them. Below is a sample of testimonials provided by students and Staff who were in attendance.

Middle School 

"I believe the experience was mind-bending. Daniel’s speech and way of getting through to us was just extraordinary. He really knew everything he was talking about. I also think his topics were very intriguing as he taught us about stereotypes, how to stay safe online and how to control your body when you’ve had too much screen time. At the end of the day, I think it was definitely worth it, and I thank Daniel very much for coming to St Pat's." - Samuel Wright (Year 6)

"On Tuesday, period five an advocate called Daniel Principe visited our school and educated us on how to become decent young men in a society full of digital interactions. This was useful as it links to our lives of becoming men in this school, informing us about the negatives in today's society which we can apply to our school life, assisting us to thrive in today's harsh environments. He taught us how to resist bad content on social media, dealing with bullying and interactions with strangers, and showing us negative stereotypes that are all around us. Overall, this experience has helped me positively and is likely to help many other boys to." - Nathaniel Khoury (Year 6)

" Daniel Principe was just an outstanding speaker; he has talked to more than seventy thousand men across Australia about safety and positive health coming to our school to deliver a speech to more than one thousand students. Encouraging boys to believe in themselves, he was a very courageous speaker with a mission to challenge boys across Australia to do their best. Daniel taught us to be safe online, reject stereotypes and way more. He was very supportive with whatever you said and always listened intently. He was nominated NSW Australian of the year which is very impressive and a fabulous achievement. Thank you to Daniel Principe for the visit and we are all very impressed. " - Luca Westerman (Year 6)

 “Daniel was a relatable and passionate talker. He was really good and talked to us about real life situations online and how to deal with cases of cyber bullying and talking about phone responsibilities, Daniel also talked about online influences. Overall, Daniel was really great, and I hope he can come back next year.” - James [Year 7] 

“From yesterday's Guest speaker talk we have definitely taken away a lot of important information and pointers. In product we have learnt the effects of bullying, woman being treated the wrong way and the outcomes of being catfished. This talk was needed for us young boys to understand what the world is now like and what some people go through on a daily basis. When we first heard these things, a lot of us were shocked and we understood the seriousness of this conversation and why we need to have it. Over the two periods we understood more and more, and it was very useful”. - Brando [Year 8] 

“Yesterday, when Daniel Principe came, he talked about a variety of topics mainly regarding inappropriate content people watch online, male stereotyping and how females are portrayed differently than males in media. (For example, the male and female of the year on magazine covers). What I learnt during the presentation is that a lot of people who watched this inappropriate content can have a really bad physical and mental lifestyle as they can become addicted to it. Overall, it was a wonderful presentation regarding young people in a digital world, and although it may of made people feel uncomfortable, this was necessary for us”. - Luke [Year 8] 

Senior School

“Daniel's talk provided the opinion from a stance of someone who has been in our shoes and has a genuine care for the decisions we make that will impact our futures. There was an authentic passion that he had for the topic of young male's futures which we can learn a lot from and can show through our words and actions.”- Hamish [Year 10] 

"Daniel not only inspired every boy in the room, but he made a complex topic relatable with references to real life experiences. On a personal level, he reminded me of my responsibility as a man and how I can use my values and qualities to be the best version of myself and make a positive contribution to society. "- Ryan [Year 11] 

“Daniel discussed some of the challenges adolescents face in the modern world. His presentation was very engaging and he was evidently very passionate about what he spoke of. His meaningful insights prompted reflection and challenged us to be upstanding young men.” – Lachlan [Year 11] 

“What I enjoyed most from Daniel Principe's speech was the refreshingly unique direction he took his speech in, where the issues weren't sugarcoated or watered down but rather their extent was openly shown and discussed, rather than just being handed statistics. In addition to this, we were called upon to provide personal insight into what these issues looked like through our eyes, providing two unique perspectives on the issues that were discussed, as well as an engaging discussion that kept the conversation meaningful, relevant and alive.” - Christian [Year 11]

Staff 

I wanted to send a quick thank you for providing such an informative and appropriate talk yesterday. I found him to be engaging and relevant. As a mother to a teenage boy, it was even more relevant. 

For more information on Daniel's work, please visit his website Homepage - Daniel Principe.

Robert Simpson

Director of Senior School