Building Resilience in children and families is an important component of our work at St. Jude’s. Many of our Student Wellbeing programs develop resilience, none more so than our partnership with the Resilience Project – St. Jude’s is an official partner school.
At the heart of the Resilience Project curriculum and initiatives is a focus on Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness.
Gratitude – Practise noticing the positive things and moments in your life. This helps you overcome the many negative messages your brain receives in any given day.
Empathy – The act of thinking of others before you think of yourself. Doing something kind for other people.
Mindfulness – Being present in the moment. Taking the time to be still and in control.
When we talk about resilience, we are talking about the ability to cope with life’s ups and downs – for example moving home, changing schools, dealing with family violence, the death of a pet or loved one. Supporting children and families is important work and that is why we ensure our staff are well trained – all of our staff have completed the Disability Standards for Primary Education course, are well versed in the PROTECT Protocol and use the Rights, Responsibilities and Respectful Relationships learning materials.
Underpinning all of our efforts to develop resilience is our work strengthening Social-Emotional Literacy. Our partnership with Berry Street is critical to this end; all staff are trained in the Berry Street Education Model. The building blocks of resilience are helping students to effectively:
- Regulate emotions and moods
- Build relationships with others
- Develop a strong sense of self-worth
- Achieve goals they set for themselves
- Develop independent thought
- Respond to situations rather than just react out of emotion
- Engage in thoughtful decision-making
- Foster a sense of self-acceptance.