St Patrick’s College has proudly hosted its second annual Year 8 Health Education Day empowering students to build healthy and respectful relationships within their communities.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, Values in Action has quickly become a valued feature of the Junior School calendar.
Held on Friday, 5 September, this year’s program engaged students in a range of interactive workshops and activities with staff from Ballarat Community Health, headspace Ballarat, Women’s Health Grampians and Victoria Police.
Highlights included skits exploring gendered language, the impact of derogatory slurs, and the importance of becoming an “upstander” rather than a bystander. Sessions also focused on healthy masculinities, mental health, the power of inclusive language, and developing positive relationship skills.
The day also featured a soccer round-robin, reinforcing teamwork and camaraderie.
Head of Junior School, Mr Tom Nash, described the day as a “huge success” and commended the Year 8 students for their efforts.
“The boys’ conduct was excellent. They engaged so thoughtfully with challenging topics and showed a genuine willingness to learn,” he said.
“It was inspiring to see them embrace the values of respect and compassion in action.”
Ballarat Community Health Promotion Officer Alexandra Bell echoed Mr Nash’s sentiments, saying Values in Action was an opportunity for schools to take a leadership role in promoting healthy and respectful relationships.
“The day was a great success, with strong engagement from students throughout the workshops and activities,” she said.
“Key messages were reinforced throughout the day including everyone deserves respect, has the right to speak out against harmful behaviour and can learn strategies to build strong, positive relationships.”
Women’s Health Grampians chief executive officer Jennie Courtney said both WHG and CoRE (Communities of Respect and Equality) were encouraged by the College’s efforts to address gender inequality and gendered violence, along with the promotion of healthy masculinities.
“While changing attitudes and behaviours can take time, the enthusiasm, respect and insights shared by the students are a great example of how the consistent efforts of the college in being a part of long-term cultural change are having results. WHG is looking forward to continuing working with St Pat’s and our many CoRE members,” she said.
