As a Life Ed supporter, you are part of our rich story, helping us to continually innovate and evolve the program to meet the needs of today’s children and communities.
Recently, we’ve been inspired by our new Stand Up for Respect campaign – part of a new program which aims to reduce bullying in schools and boost children’s social and emotional resilience.
Last school term, we set ourselves an ambitious goal – to gather more than 5,500 respect pledges from primary school students across Queensland.
Why? Because sadly, every month in Queensland, 5,576 people are the victims of assault and sexual assault according to latest ABS police data.
Stand Up for Respect is a powerful call for action, empowering the next generation to advocate for a world characterised by kindness, tolerance, and respect. The respect pledges we gathered represent young voices throughout Queensland – and shaped a vivid display at the Life Ed Queensland centre during the month of August. In this newsletter, you’ll learn more about how our new bullying prevention program is empowering students to be upstanders and see how it’s helped one rural southeast Queensland school build a safer, more respectful community.
We’ll share our birthday milestone – 45 years of the Life Education program making a positive impact on the lives of children across Australia! You’ll meet the four inspirational junior upstanders who are outstanding role models in their communities. Why one Kids Protect Team supporter is even more passionate about Life Ed thanks to his own fatherhood journey. And see how we connected with youngsters from Mt Isa to the Gold Coast for this year’s Child Protection Week.
Thank you once again.
Michael Fawsitt (Chief Executive Officer)
When thousands of children from our partner schools across Queensland wrote a personal pledge to respect others, it was the impetus for a powerful upstander movement which helped launch Life Ed Queensland’s new evidence-based bullying prevention initiative, Stand Up for Respect.
Created in collaboration with Social Marketing @Griffith University – Stand Up for Respect is designed to reduce bullying in schools and ultimately, violence in the wider community, with studies showing bullying rates often peak during the upper primary years.
The Stand Up for Respect program has effected genuine positive change across the four pilot schools who were part of the final trial.
At the end of the Stand Up for Respect pilot, for children who were targets of bullying several times a week, the results showed a…
With bullying incidents having a devastating impact in too many school communities, these pilot results are incredibly heartening. Other Queensland schools are keen to implement the Stand Up for Respect program.
Imagine if we saw these kinds of changes in schools across Queensland! With further support from the State Government, we could extend the pilot, including into regional areas, and help even more children.
Bullying negatively impacts the mental wellbeing of too many children with both face-to-face and online bullying affecting thousands of young people each year. We owe it to them to collaborate with schools and offer a program that promotes upstander behaviour – building self-assurance, awareness, empathy and wellbeing, so that students can experience a positive and safe school journey.
Watch the video above to see how one group of school leaders are standing up for a more respectful world. We are sure you’ll be as inspired as we are.
Last term, 57 Years 5 and 6 students from Woongoolba State School received their Stand Up for Respect program certificates.
The Term 3 pilot evaluation revealed a significant increase in confidence among the students at the rural northern Gold Coast school in identifying bullying behaviour and intervening to stop it.
are confident in their ability to recognise bullying behaviours (up from 40.91%).
feel confident that they can ask for help when they see bullying (up from 61.37%).
are confident to act when they see bullying (up from 45.46%).
feel confident to take action to help prevent bullying (up from 40.91%).
are confident that they know how to reduce bullying rates at their school (up from 13.64%).
2 in 3 students (65%)
feel confident that they can verbally interrupt bullying behaviours when they see it (up from 52.27%).
3 in 4 students (75%)
feel confident that they can encourage a target of bullying to get help (up from 61.36%).
Woongoolba State School Acting Principal Tracey Pryce said Stand Up for Respect had been an invaluable program, reinforcing the school’s social and emotional learning.
Ms Pryce says staff now feel more prepared to address bullying incidents proactively, and students have increased confidence to identify and respond to unkind behaviour thanks to the strategies learned during the program.
“Students are more aware of their own behaviour, are making an effort to speak with more kindness and include their peers in their lunchtime activities.
“It’s also given our students more confidence as they prepare to make the transition to high school.“
Woongoolba State School captain Ava might be a school leader, but she says anyone can find themselves at the receiving end of bullying.
“A couple of years ago, someone was saying really mean things to me online and I told my parents about it straight away,” recalls Ava (pictured far right). “My parents told the school, and the school sorted it out.”
Even though the situation was resolved, the emotional scars took longer to heal. “My heart wasn’t completely fixed up after it stopped. It took a while to get over it,” Ava says.
Ava is now standing tall. She and her Year 5 and 6 peers are among 550 students from eight southeast Queensland primary schools who have gained knowledge, strength and resilience from Life Ed Queensland’s new evidenced-based bullying prevention program Stand Up for Respect.
“I believe that it is possible to stop bullying if we teach kids from a young age through programs like Stand Up for Respect,” Ava says.
Friend and Year 6 cultural captain (also named Ava) says the program has helped her understand the difference between an upstander and a bystander, and the importance of speaking up.
“To be an upstander, you don’t just sit around and let bullying happen, you interfere and try and stop it, and help the person being bullied,” Ava says.
“I think I feel a lot more confident with recognising bully behaviours, so I can go and be an upstander instead of a bystander.
Archie, a Year 6 classmate agrees and acknowledges his increased awareness of the need for inclusivity.
“I didn’t know that there are so many types of bullying,” Archie reveals.
“There’s cyberbullying, there’s verbal bullying, physical bullying and covert or social bullying. Now, I know how to see it if it’s happening right in front of me and to stand up for people,” he said.
Ted’s vision back in 1979, has flourished into a program which has seen generations of children positively impacted by vital health and wellbeing education throughout their primary school years. Recently, Life Ed Queensland commemorated this incredible milestone with a special celebration night at Queensland Parliament.
The event provided an opportunity to honour our legacy, while also highlighting how Life Ed has evolved to meet the needs of today’s parents, schools and children.
Some of the 5,500 Stand Up for Respect pledges made their way to parliament … each one representing a message from children across Queensland calling for a kinder, more respectful community.
Four outstanding students – Nimea, Hannah, Dominic and Jaxon – were recognised on the night for being the 2024 Queensland Junior Upstander Award winners.
These students were selected from nomination entries from all over Queensland for demonstrating leadership, bravery and kindness in standing up for other students who have experienced bullying.
Life Ed Queensland CEO Michael Fawsitt, Board members and staff, were joined by co-patrons Hon Dr Anthony Lynham and Hon Rob Borbidge AO.
Special guests included Health Minister Hon Shannon Fentiman, Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates, Queensland members of parliament, guest speaker OIympian Brooke Hanson OAM, talented singer-composer Jo Davie and valued donor supporters.
And of course, Australia’s biggest influencer, Healthy Harold made a star appearance.
Thank you to all our supporters who make our work possible. With your support, we look forward to many more years of Life Ed Queensland making a difference in the lives of children.
For Brett, supporting Life Ed Queensland isn’t just about giving back – it’s deeply personal. A supporter since 2015 and a proud Kids Protect Team member, Brett’s connection to the program began in his own school days, where Healthy Harold left a lasting impression.
“I remember looking forward to Life Ed like an exciting excursion,” he recalls. “It taught me the importance of staying healthy – and I’ve carried those lessons with me my whole life.”
Now, as a father, Brett’s reason for giving has deepened. His son’s experience with bullying and his daughter’s early journey through puberty have only strengthened his belief in the vital role of Life Ed.
“My 7-year-old son was being bullied at the last school he was at,” he recalls. “As a parent, you want to fix everything, but you can’t always stop it. Life Ed gives kids the guidance they need when we can’t.”
Brett says it’s deeply satisfying to be able to make a difference.
“There’s no handbook on parenting, so you don’t always know what to say but you guys deal with it a lot and know what to say a bit better. Also, there are families out there who don’t have the best home situation and children may not learn the right things at home.
“If you have kids of your own, you want the best for them. It’s as simple as that.”
At Life Ed Queensland, child safety is at the heart of everything we do.
That’s why we are passionate about participating in Queensland Child Protection Week – this year’s theme, “protecting children is everyone’s business.”
Thanks to some small grants, Life Ed Queensland was able to deliver a week-long program of visits to children across Queensland, with a focus on personal safety and protective behaviours.
Educators presented Super Safe Harold sessions at Mt Isa’s Ngukuthati Children and Family Centre, Goodstart Early Learning Centre Peak Crossing, Little Saints Kindergarten at St John’s Anglican College, and Playschool Kindy Elanora.
A highlight of the week, saw Life Ed and Healthy Harold head to Event Cinemas at Pacific Fair, Broadbeach.
Harold and educator Mariana shared safety messages exclusively with Little Paccas Kids Club members.
From seatbelt safety, playing safely in the playground and asking for help, to the importance of recognising the body’s warning signs when we are unsafe and knowing trusted adults to turn to; the sessions were fun, and designed to empower children to lead healthier and safer lives.
Hands-on craft activities rounded out the event and were popular with parents, grandparents and children.
