WELLBEING NEWS

Why are resilience and wellbeing important?

1. Children who are not healthy emotionally will have difficulty learning. When we are stressed, the part of our brain responsible for learning does not function effectively.
2.  Calm children can focus and retain more information. 
3. Resilience enables children to take safe risks without fear of failure. 
4. The statistics indicate that the number of adults struggling with mental ill health has increased over the years. 
5. Statistics also tell us that mental ill health is affecting young people at alarming rates and the onset is getting earlier. Prevention is the key to seeing these figures improve.

Why and how is this relevant to the curriculum?

1. The Resilience Project curriculum has been produced to align with Victorian, New South Wales and Australian Curriculum standards and frameworks. 
2. The Resilience Project curriculum addresses aspects of achievement standards in the Personal and Social Capabilities learning area, the Health and Physical Education learning area and the Personal Development area.

How much time does the program take?

1. Each lesson is designed to run for approximately 60 minutes and there are between 20 and 30 lessons per year level. 
2. Each school will introduce the program in a structure that works best for your individual school community so there may be some variance in the overall time taken. 
3. It is our hope that the themes covered in our formal curriculum become an ongoing focus throughout the school.

What does this program look like in the classroom? What will my child be doing?

1. Your child will complete a variety of activities that introduce them to The Resilience Project’s key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. 

2. The activities will give them a chance to practice these concepts, individually and in groups. 

3. Children will be encouraged to develop positive wellbeing habits by practising these concepts on a regular basis outside of their TRP lessons. You can play a big role in supporting this at home.

How do parents/carers do the program too? 

We know that parents and carers often prioritise the health and wellbeing of others before their own. It’s really important to practice regular self-care and our positive mental health strategies are applicable to people of all ages. Here are some ways you can get involved:

1. TRP@Home via our website contains a wealth of helpful resources (03) 9113 9302 | theresilienceproject.com.au as well as regularly updated activities specific to Kids, Teens, Adults and Parents which you can use with the family or in your own life. 

2. Throughout the curriculum, several lessons have accompanying ‘Take It Home’ activities through which you can continue the learning and activities at home with the whole family. 

3. Project+ is our TRP newsletter which goes home to families each term and contains lots of helpful information and suggested activities which you can complete at home around GEM+EL. 

4. In addition, if your child’s school has purchased the ‘Inspire’ package as part of the School Partnership Program, this comes with five videos by Hugh van Cuylenburg or Martin Heppell for parents/carers explaining the program and our four guiding principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. These are available on the Parent/Carer Hub. 

5. Regular gratitude practices have been proven to increase the amount of positives you notice in your day. The Resilience Project 21 Day, 6 Month and Family Journals are a great way to do this and are available through our website. 

6. The Resilience Project app is another convenient way to regularly practice the GEM+EL principles and is available on iTunes and Google Play. 

7. The Imperfects podcast, led by Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton and Josh van Cuylenburg, is all about how perfectly imperfect we all are. Hugh, Josh and Ryan chat to a variety of interesting people who bravely share their struggles and imperfections, and we all learn some valuable take-aways we can apply to our own imperfect lives. 

8. We encourage you to have conversations with your kids about the program and how they are integrating gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy into their lives. Embedding positive mental health practices and language across school and the home lead to greater benefits and understanding. 

What are gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy? Why these?

Gratitude is about paying attention to, and being thankful for, the things we have. Empathy is about understanding others’ feelings and perspectives and being kind to others. Mindfulness is about bringing our attention to the present moment and being aware of our thoughts, emotions and surroundings. Emotional Literacy is about labelling our emotions as we experience them and increasing our emotional vocabulary. (03) 9113 9302 | theresilienceproject.com.au There is a wealth of supporting academic research on the mental and physical benefits of these strategies. More information can be found on the References & Reading section of our website.

Is there a best time of day to practise gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy?

These are strategies that can be practised any and every day, at any time of day. If these concepts are new to you, building a routine to practise them can support wellbeing. Picking a time of day–for example first thing in the morning, or after dinner–can be helpful to create a new habit and give structure to your wellbeing journey.

My child has a diagnosed mental illness. Will this interfere with/ replace our current supports/strategies?

The Resilience Project schools program is a prevention-based program and will not replace any formal treatment your child may be accessing. 

The Resilience Project schools program should not cause any interference with your child's current plan, and in fact, the strategies your child learns will most likely benefit them. However, we would encourage you to let your child's mental health professional know that they are completing the program at school and seek their guidance on this. 

Likewise it would also be helpful if you let your child's teacher know about your child’s plan (if you haven't already) so that the teacher can keep an extra close eye on them.

I'm concerned my child may be experiencing mental ill-health, where can I go for help?                                                                                                                                                                 1. The Resilience Project is not a treatment or assessment service.                                           2. If you are worried about your child; 

• Speaking with your General Practitioner is a great place to start. 
• The School wellbeing team may be able to assist you with local support services that work with young people. 
• Websites such as Beyond Blue and Headspace have some great information and resources also.