Inside the Gates: Heathmont College
Across the next few editions of the Gazette, we’re going to be unpacking and celebrating some of the awesome things happening here at the College, with the help of the staff who are heavily involved.
For the first edition of Inside the Gates, the Gazette team sat down with Gemma Ritchie to explore her work in the area of Respectful Relationships.
Thanks for sitting down with us, Gemma! To start, why do you think the Respectful Relationships program is so important?
The Respectful Relationships program provides an important opportunity for students to explore topics such as gender equality, stereotypes, healthy relationships and respectful behaviour in a safe and supportive environment.
The program was developed by the Victorian Government in response to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and the broader need to address the attitudes and behaviours that can contribute to gender-based violence.
We also recognise the particular importance of this work within our own community. There are some really strong messages coming through social media and online spaces, and unfortunately not all of them are positive. Students are constantly exposed to content that can reinforce negative gender stereotypes or unhealthy ideas about relationships.
Our goal is to give students the opportunity to question some of those messages, challenge stereotypes and develop their own understanding of what respectful and healthy relationships look like.
Importantly, we also want students to be able to take these conversations home. By giving them the knowledge and language to talk about these issues, we can hopefully support families to have some of those important, and sometimes tricky, conversations together.
What have students been getting up to so far this year?
The program kicked off at the beginning of the year, with different year levels exploring topics that are relevant to their age and stage of development.
Our Year 8 students have been investigating gender norms and stereotypes. They have been encouraged to think critically about where these ideas come from and to challenge some of the negative perceptions they may encounter.
Our Year 10 students, meanwhile, have been analysing the way gender is represented in the media. They have been encouraged to question the messages they see and consider how their own opinions and attitudes may have been influenced over time.
This work has also been supported by the Love Bites program, delivered by our Wellbeing Team, which focuses on consent education.
Across the program, students have also been exploring the characteristics of healthy relationships and rehearsing practical help-seeking strategies, so they know where they can turn if they or someone they know needs support.
What’s next for Respectful Relationships at the College?
The team is currently looking at how we can continue to build this work across the College.
A particular focus is finding meaningful opportunities to bring conversations around gender equality, stereotypes and respectful relationships into more areas of the curriculum, making the learning relevant, proactive and connected to what students are already learning.
We’re also exploring how the program can be expanded across additional year levels, ensuring that students have opportunities to revisit and build on these important ideas as they progress through the College.
Finally, how have families responded to the program?
The response from families has been overwhelmingly positive.
Parents and carers have really appreciated the support the program provides in helping them navigate some of the more challenging conversations around these topics at home.
Many have expressed that they are glad these issues are being addressed at school and recognise the importance of students developing these skills and understandings.
It’s been really encouraging to hear that families feel supported by the work we’re doing and can see the value in giving students the knowledge and confidence to build respectful, healthy relationships.
The Gazette would like to thank Gemma for sharing an insight into this important work.
Respectful Relationships is an ongoing conversation, and the work being done across the College is helping our students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate relationships and the wider world around them with respect.
Stay tuned for the next edition of Inside the Gates, where we’ll shine a light on another of the fantastic programs and initiatives happening across the College.