Parent and Carer FAQs
Click a question below to be taken to the corresponding answer.
- Why is resilience and wellbeing important?
- Why and how is this relevant to curriculum?
- How much time does the program take?
- What does this program look like in the classroom? What will my child be doing?
- How do parents/carers do the program too?
- What is gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy? Why these?
- Is there a best time of day to practice gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy?
- My child has a diagnosed mental illness. Will this interfere with/ replace our current supports/strategies?
- I'm concerned my child may be experiencing mental ill-health, where can I go for help?
- Research shows us that there is a direct link between wellbeing and academics, therefore children who are not emotionally healthy will have difficulty learning. When we are stressed, the part of our brain responsible for learning does not function effectively.
- Calm children can focus and retain more information.
- Resilience enables children to take safe risks without fear of failure.
- The statistics indicate that the number of adults struggling with mental ill health has increased over the years. Statistics also tell us that mental ill health is affecting young people at alarming rates and the onset is getting earlier. Prevention is the key to seeing these figures improve.
- The Resilience Project program aligns with the latest Australian, Victorian and New South Wales curriculum standards and frameworks. Key curriculum areas covered from Foundation to Year 10 include Health and Physical Education/Personal Development, Personal and Social Capability, and Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships topics 1–6.
- For Primary students, additional curriculum areas are integrated across various lessons, including Creative Arts, English, Maths and Science, to ensure learning time is maximised and wellbeing education can be learnt in a variety of contexts.
- For Year 11, our new mapping documents also feature links between The Resilience Project lessons and specific subjects and units within the VCE Vocational Major (VM) applied learning program.
- Our Primary program has 30 lessons per year level which are designed to run for 60 minutes.
- Our Secondary program has 50 lessons per year level which are designed to run for 20 minutes.
- Each school will introduce the program in a structure that works best for them so there may be some variance in the overall time taken.
- It is our hope that the themes covered in our formal curriculum become an ongoing focus throughout the school.
- Your child(ren) will complete a variety of activities that introduce them to The Resilience Project’s key principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy.
- The activities will give them a chance to practise these concepts, individually and in groups.
- Students will be encouraged to develop positive wellbeing habits by practising these concepts on a regular basis outside of their TRP lessons.
We know that parents and carers often prioritise the health and wellbeing of others before their own. It’s really important to practise regular self-care and our positive mental health strategies are applicable to people of all ages.
- You can play a big role in supporting the development of positive wellbeing habits at home by checking out the Parents and Carers page on our website. Your school may even publish some GEM activities in the school newsletter or other community communication platforms.
- If your child’s school has purchased the Inspire package as part of the School Partnership program, there are five videos by Hugh van Cuylenburg or Martin Heppell for parents/carers explaining the program and our four guiding principles of Gratitude, Empathy, Mindfulness and Emotional Literacy. These are available on the Parent/Carer Hub.
- Regular gratitude practices have been proven to increase the amount of positives you notice in your day. The Resilience Project 21 Day, 6 Month and Family Journals are a great way to do this and are available through our online shop.
- The Resilience Project app is another convenient way to regularly practise the GEM+EL principles and is available on iTunes and Google Play.
- The Imperfects podcast, hosted by Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton and Josh van Cuylenburg, celebrates just how imperfectly perfect we all are. Together, they chat to a variety of people who bravely share their struggles and imperfections alongside valuable learnings we can apply to our own lives and use to support the teachings of TRP in the classroom. Guests include Nathan Buckley, Grace Tame, Jack Steele, Zan Rowe, Michael Klim, Billy Slater, Lael Stone, Pat Cummins, Tim Minchin and many more.
We encourage you to have conversations with your kids about the program and how they are integrating gratitude, empathy, mindfulness and emotional literacy into their lives. Embedding positive mental health practices and language across school and the home lead to greater benefits and understanding.
Gratitude is about paying attention to and being thankful for the things we have.
Empathy is about understanding others’ feelings and perspectives and being kind to others.
Mindfulness is about bringing our attention to the present moment and being aware of our thoughts, emotions and surroundings.
Emotional Literacy is about labelling our emotions as we experience them and increasing our emotional vocabulary.
There is a wealth of supporting academic research on the mental and physical benefits of these strategies. More information can be found on the References & Reading section of our website.
These are strategies that can be practised any and every day, at any time of day.
If these concepts are new to you, building a routine to practise them can support wellbeing. Picking a time of day–for example, first thing in the morning or after dinner–can be helpful to create a new habit and give structure to your wellbeing journey.
- An example of this could be having some GEM Conversation Cards in the car for the school drop off or pick-up or beside the bed for your child’s bedtime.
The Resilience Project School Partnership Program is a prevention-based program and will not replace any formal treatment your child may be accessing.
The Resilience Project School Partnership Program should not cause any interference with your child’s current plan, and in fact, the strategies your child learns will most likely benefit them. However, we would encourage you to let your child’s mental health professional know that they are completing the program at school and seek their guidance on this. It would also be helpful if you let your child’s teacher know about your child’s plan (if you haven’t already) so that the teacher can keep an extra close eye on them.
The Resilience Project is not a treatment or assessment service. Consider the following if you are worried about your child:
- Speak with your General Practitioner.
- Consult the School wellbeing team who may be able to assist you with local support services that work with young people.
- Look at websites such as Beyond Blue and Headspace for more great information and resources.
