On Wednesday 26 May our Year 8 students took part in an incursion aimed at supporting them through this time of change and uncertainty.
The Year 8 girls took part in a full-day workshop run by the organisation Flourish Girl that encouraged them to develop tools of empathy, trust and gratitude to build healthier and positive relationships with themselves and others.
The boys participated in a workshop run by The Man Cave that explored how gender stereotypes impact their attitudes and behaviour, what defines a respectful relationship and how they will uniquely contribute to their community and the world.
It is no secret that our Year 8 students had a disrupted start to secondary school last year. The programs offered on this day were chosen because they target the emotional intelligence of our boys and girls and create a safe space where they can open up, be supported by their peers and know that they are not alone — and, in fact, most other people are feeling the same way.
It was an absolutely fantastic day and the students benefited from it enormously. The way the students rallied around and supported each other throughout the day was heart warming.
Here are some student reflections from the incursion:
Flourish Girl allows young women to have a voice and discuss their mental health, take a break from schoolwork and have some much-needed fun. Flourish Girl made everyone there smile and laugh with some fun games and relaxing activities. It was a fun time and when it was time to be serious everyone was extremely respectful. It was an emotional day and everyone by the end of the day had a smile on their face and they felt good, as every woman in the room had felt heard and had some fun.
— Gena Gardner (Year 8 Purple)
Man Cave is an organisation that could help you talk about anything to others and not be judged for it — just wanting to talk, share a story, needing someone to talk to because there is something going on, an issue at school or home, or just everyday things going on in life that you want to share. Man Cave helped the boys understand that sharing emotions or issues that you have going on in your life is OK but they also helped us understand the good things going on in life, too. I liked their saying ‘What’s in the cave, stays in the cave’.
— Aiden Nash (Year 8 Silver)
This incursion was about self-worth and love. We played games, had some deep conversations and we learnt a bit about each other and how we feel. My favourite part was close to the end when we all wrote our own journal entries which included how we felt about the day, our favourite part, what we were grateful for and what the type of woman we want to be in the future was. I got a lot of emotions out. I really enjoyed this day and I know lots of others did as well.
— Sophie Clarke (Year 8 Red)
The Flourish Girl incursion was one of the best things our teachers could have done for us. I have never felt so accepted and loved in a school environment than on the day Zoe and Chantelle came and hung out with us. We spent the whole day in a group of girls from different homerooms and did many activities together. My favourite activity was the last one. We all sat in a large circle and passed around papers for each other to write something nice about our peers. I will keep that piece of paper forever.
— Isabella Hanson (Year 8 Purple)
