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

A reminder that during lockdown you can leave your home and travel beyond 5km to seek help if you're trying to escape harm or the risk of harm. You will NOT be fined for this.

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 (Postponed) 

Monday 9th August – Friday 13th August

Although a number of our events were postponed we did have some students who created some great posters to highlight the differences between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship and important facts and figures about Respect. 

Art and Writing Competition

Many students also entered our Art and Writing Competition responding to the prompt Who Are You? 

These entries are all amazing and will be put on display and judged by the student body with our winners announced on our return to school. 

Do It In A Dress Fundraiser

Do It In A Dress is a creative, high-impact way to raise awareness and funds for girls' education! Do It In A Dress challenges everyone to wear a dress for those who can't. 

Started by One Girl, Do It In A Dress runs each year with fundraisers from around Australia (and internationally!) taking part. 

Funds raised throughout Do It In A Dress go to support One Girl's programs, helping harness the power of education for girls and young women in Sierra Leone and Uganda.

How EDSC are supporting Do it in a Dress!

In the lead up to Respectful Relationships week, we had multiple buckets set up in the middle courtyard with teachers faces stuck on it who are taking part in the challenge.

Students and staff were invited to bring along their spare change and drop it into the bucket of the teacher they would most like to see in their dress.

The teacher with the most money donated to their bucket by the end of the week will have to wear their dress for a day at school. (TBC) For men this may mean they are wearing their wife’s dress or a friends. For women it may mean they are wearing their wedding dress or an old prom dress. 

Currently we have raised $155.30 with our teachers in the following places:

1. Mr Creighton
2. Mr Bethune
3. Ms Chew
4. Ms Squires
5. Ms Creelman
6. Ms Murray
7. Ms Fahey

As we were plunged into Lockdown before we could conclude our fundraising and with Mr Cadenhead now joining the event, we will pick this back up when we return onsite. 

Upcoming LGBTQIA+ Events

Wear It Purple Day

Friday August 27 is Wear it Purple Day! Tens of thousands of people, workplaces, schools, classrooms, sports clubs and communities will go purple to stand with LGBTQIA+ young people, and to stand out against the alarming rates of bullying and discrimination rainbow youth unfortunately still face.

Wear it Purple Day is all about supporting and celebrating LGBTQIA+ young people, so schools and classrooms are the perfect setting to go purple. There are also loads of ways to go purple with family and friends, in your own community, and even digitally. And let's face it, you don't even need to take part in an activity to go purple and stand out against bullying and discrimination. Championing the day as an individual still sends a vital message of support to LGBTQIA+ young people, letting them know they are safe and loved.

And of course – if you don’t post about your day, did it even happen? Don’t forget to post snaps online and tag us @minus18youth! Or even add the #WearItPurpleDay or #WearItPurpleDay2021 hashtag so everyone can see how YOU celebrated. And remember, every purple moment of visible pride or allyship sends a message of support to LGBTQIA+ young people!

PRIDE PARTY ALERT! 

We've made the call to turn our in-person Melbourne Purple Pride Party into a digital extravaganza. Not only will we avoid pesky restrictions around attendee numbers, but it also means any LGBTQIA+ young person can attend – no matter your location, no matter how locked down your city might be.

We'll be broadcasting the whole event – every drag act, every musician, every DJ – from Science Gallery Melbourne. In high qual video + sound, straight to your screen. 

Expect dance performances, drag king royalty, queer bangers, and the chance to connect with LGBTQIA+ youth (12 to 19 ONLY) all over the country via the wonderfully hectic chat.

Grab your free ticket! https://bit.ly/3A32DGL

Manningham Youth Services LGBTQIA+ groups 

MY LGBTQIA+ Groups coming to you at the end of August!! 

MY Pride: A peer support group for Trans and Gender Diverse young people!

MY Connection: LGBTQIA+ social group for young people! 

If you're 12-18 years old and live, work, or study in Manningham and are interested in joining our groups head to the link in our bio and click on 'MY LGBTQIA+ Groups' for more info! 

#manninghamyouthservices #mylgbtqiagroups #mypride #myconnection

RRRR Book of the Week

Jocelyn Wu has just three wishes for her junior year: To make it through without dying of boredom, to direct a short film with her BFF Priya Venkatram, and to get at least two months into the year without being compared to or confused with Peggy Chang, the only other Chinese girl in her grade.

Will Domenici has two goals: to find a paying summer internship, and to prove he has what it takes to become an editor on his school paper.

Then Jocelyn's father tells her their family restaurant may be going under, and all wishes are off. Because her dad has the marketing skills of a dumpling, it's up to Jocelyn and her unlikely new employee, Will, to bring A-Plus Chinese Garden into the 21st century (or, at least, to Facebook).What starts off as a rocky partnership soon grows into something more. But family prejudices and the uncertain future of A-Plus threaten to keep Will and Jocelyn apart. It will take everything they have and more, to save the family restaurant and their budding romance.

Rebecca James

Respectful Relationships Coordinator