Respectful Relationships News
Everyone in our community deserves to be respected, valued and treated equally. We know that changes in attitudes and behaviours can be achieved when positive attitudes, behaviours and equality are embedded in our education settings.
Respectful Relationships is about embedding a culture of respect and equality across our entire community, from our classrooms to staffrooms, sporting fields, fetes and social events. This approach leads to positive impacts on student’s academic outcomes, their mental health, classroom behaviour, and relationships between teachers and students.
Together, we can lead the way in saying yes to respect and equality, and creating genuine and lasting change so that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential.
The EDSC Respectful Relationships Pledge:
"All members of our school community have a responsibility to stand up against family violence and the misuse of gender power and control. We foster relationships that are respectful, caring and fair."
If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence the following services are available
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger call 000 and ask for the police.
For non-urgent help, please contact:
• 1800RESPECT: The national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. Phone and online services available 24/7.
• Doncare: (03) 9856 1500
• Eastern Domestic Violence Service (EDVOS): (03) 9259 4200
• Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre: 1800 015 188
• Thorne Harbour Health support for the LGBTIQA+ community: (03) 9865 6700
• Migrant Information Centre support for people from diverse cultural backgrounds: (03) 9285 4888
• inTouch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence at (03) 9413 6500
• Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491
• Eastern Community Legal Centre: 1300 325 200
More resources/agencies can be found on our Wellbeing, Engagement and Positive Futures page of the East Doncaster Secondary College website
https://www.eastdonsc.vic.edu.au/wellbeing-engagement-positive-futures
Respectful Relationships Week
Last week we celebrated Respectful Relationships week in the College. Our showpiece of the week was our Q and A night with Rosie Batty that was well attended by parents, staff, students and members of our community. It was a fantastic night and thank you to Michael Colling for his organisation of the night.
Each lunchtime we held activities that encouraged our message of respect and a little bit of fun.
Many students wrote messages of positivity on paper and on wooden clothes pegs and gave them to friends and family.
We held an RR Bingo and Just Dance competitions on Wednesday and Friday respectively and ended the week with Wear it Purple Day, which was supported by the Wellbeing Team and Manningham Youth Services and students were able to have their hair sprayed glitter or purple and show their support for the LGBTQIA+ members of our school community.
A Big Thank you to Ms Kate Hesselmans who ran a lot of these events and the teachers who supported these also.
Share the Dignity August Drive
Menstruating isn’t a choice, but those experiencing period poverty often have to choose between period products and other essential items just to get by. We’d rather they didn’t.
Access to period products is a right, not a privilege. But 1 in 5 Australians have been unable to afford period products at some point in their life.
Thank you to the generous members of our community who contributed to our drive and especially Le in the Office who has been a staunch supporter of the work of Share the Dignity, in particular this year’s drive.
If you would like to know more about Share the Dignity’s goal to end period poverty please go to their web page.
https://www.sharethedignity.org.au/
Manningham Youth Services/Events
Chill Out, Hang Out! at MUC
Throughout Term 3, Manningham Youth Services will be hanging out at MUC every Wednesday from 2.30pm-6pm. You can come by yourself or with some friends to do homework, hang out, or just have fun! Click here for more info.
Victorian Youth Fest 2022
To celebrate Victorian Youth Fest in September, MYS have partnered with Manningham Art Studios to create an eco mural in Manningham! If you're a creative young person in Year 11 & 12 (or age equivalent) and want to get involved, click here to register or for more info!
Parents & Carers of LGBTQIA+ Young People- Support Group
We're excited to announce a support group for parents and carers of queer young people. This is a safe and inclusive space parents and carers to discuss sexuality and gender topics, ask questions, receive support resources, and meet other families. Click here for more info.
Walk 4 Youth Mental Health
MYS have partnered up with local community organisations to Walk 4 Youth Mental Health. Sunday October 9th 2022 wear a shade of green and walk, roll or run to show your support for youth mental health. To register or for more information, click here.
RRRR Book of the Week
A loose retelling of Cinderella, about a high-school graduate who–after getting grounded for the whole summer–joins a local Quidditch league and finds her footing, perfect for fans of Dumplin’, Fangirl, and everyone who’s read and adored Harry Potter.
17-year-old vegan feminist Ellen Lopez-Rourke has one muggy Houston summer left before college. She plans to spend every last moment with her two best friends before they go off to the opposite ends of Texas for school. But when Ellen is grounded for the entire summer by her (sometimes) evil stepmother, all her plans are thrown out the window.
Determined to do something with her time, Ellen (with the help of BFF Melissa) convinces her parents to let her join the local muggle Quidditch team. An all-gender, full-contact game, Quidditch isn’t quite what Ellen expects. There’s no flying, no magic, just a bunch of scrappy players holding PVC pipe between their legs and throwing dodgeballs. Suddenly Ellen is thrown into the very different world of sports: her life is all practices, training, and running with a group of Harry Potter fans.
Even as Melissa pulls away to pursue new relationships and their other BFF Xiumiao seems more interested in moving on from high school (and from Ellen), Ellen is steadily finding a place among her teammates. Maybe Quidditch is where she belongs.
With her home life and friend troubles quickly spinning out of control–Ellen must fight for the future that she wants, now she’s playing for keeps.
Rebecca James
Respectful Relationships Coordinator