Year 10 Community Day

On Friday 1 April, Year 10 worked with College Staff and facilitators from Tomorrow Man/Woman to disrupt stereotypes, build emotional muscle, remove their ‘masks’ and empower their voice. The presentations were titled ‘Breaking the Man Code’ for the boys and ‘Her Code’ for the girls. The students also completed challenge activities in House groups.

This Community Day compliments the Year 10 topic of “Moral Decision Making” studied in RE and aims to assist students to strengthen their self-talk, by learning to exercise their ‘inner guide’ voice and to support one another with words of affirmation.

Students reflected on their experiences at the end of the day, writing a letter addressed to their future self, focusing on two key questions:

1. What were the standouts for you on the day? 
2. What message(s) did you walk away with?

These letters will be distributed to the students at the beginning of 2023 as a self reminder for the beginning of their senior years of schooling.

Here is a sample of what students shared were standouts on the day:

• That it taught everyone to stand up and voice their thoughts and to be more confident
• It helped me and let me talk to lots of people.
• Mostly that we could relate to one another about the female stereotypes and we could use our voices during that workshop.
• When other boys stood up in front of the class and opened up
• The stand outs for me were the step to the line game, showing me that there are people out there that are going through similar things that I am.
• Inclusiveness, the realness
• Being able to talk about your feelings around everyone knowing you won’t get judged and others feel the same as you.
• The Tomorrow Woman workshop was a very meaningful experience, and I feel that I went out of my comfort zone to challenge myself.
• Talking about how boys have voices

 And some key takeaway messages:

• Love yourself…we are all different, yet we are the same
• Speak out and be yourself
• I am not alone, there are other people who are around that I can talk to.
• To be able to open up to people about your feelings
• That gender stereotypes are found everywhere including in schools, which plays a big impact on people's mental health and illness
• To check in on friends and others more, and that we shouldn't bag people out for opening up to us.
• You don't have to live up to society standards and the stereotypes made for women
• To speak up, Check on your mates, Some people are going through the same things as you
• Bravery is key in womanhood, Others around you do experience other common things that I feel, We shouldn't judge those around us because they could be going through tough things.
• It's not weak to speak

Thank you to Mr Conn, Mr Price, Mr Siegwalt, Mr Bacon, Mr Cohalan, as well as Mrs Garrod, Ms Reynolds, Mrs McCartan, Miss Patterson, Miss Goggin and Mrs Potts for the smooth running of a valuable day.

Dates for your diary:

Blessings for a productive Term 2.

Christine Savage | Leader of Faith, Formation and Mission