Student Empowerment & Respectful Relationships 

I would like to congratulate our Year 5 students for preparing and delivering such inspiring speeches for leadership roles in 2025! Your confidence and creativity truly shone through, and it's clear that each of you has the potential to make a positive impact in our school community. I look forward to working with all the student leaders in 2025. 

What is Respectful Relationships? 

The Royal Commission into Family Violence identified the critical role that schools and early childhood education have in creating a culture of respect to change the story of family violence for future generations. 

In 2016, respectful relationships education became a core component of the Victorian Curriculum from foundation to year 12, and is being taught in all government and Catholic schools and many independent schools. 

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 first of the 8 Pillars is Emotional Literacy.

The second of the 8 Pillars is Personal Strengths.

The third of the 8 Pillars is Positive Coping. 

Myth or Fact? 

Myth: Respectful Relationships teaches radical gender theory 

Fact: Respectful Relationships does not teach radical gender theory. It is a primary prevention initiative to reduce family violence. 

Respectful Relationships promotes respect and gender equality and helps students learn how to build healthy relationships. It prepares students to face challenges by developing problem-solving skills and building resilience and confidence. 

Schools involved in the Respectful Relationships initiative are building a culture of respect and gender equality, by looking at their practices and policies to drive meaningful change. 

The Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence recommended Respectful Relationships be introduced to all government schools (Recommendation 189). Evidence presented to the commission showed that family violence is the most pervasive form of violence perpetrated against women in Victoria. 

Rebecca McCorkindale  

Student Empowerment Leader