A whole of community approach to resilience and mental wellbeing is being delivered to school communities across Townsville this week with students, staff and parents taking part in their term 3 immersion presentations for The Resilience Project.
Delivered by the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys with the support of Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN), this week’s presentations bring together Belgian Gardens State School, Currajong State School, Enkindle Village School and Railway Estate State School.
Interactive presentations by program ambassadors Gavin Cooper and Ray Thompson will complement the work taking place in the classroom throughout the year in reinforcing the pillars of The Resilience Project - gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.
The first of the presentations was held at Ryan Catholic College’s Emmaus Hall on Monday where students and teachers heard personal stories from Gavin and Ray, watched engaging video presentations from The Resilience Project founders and took part in fun activities, putting into practice what they’d learned.
Year two students were up first, followed by a combined year 3-5 group, before a virtual professional development session for teachers completed day one.
Gavin said the face-to-face immersion sessions are about learning evidence-based strategies that build resilience and improve wellbeing across the whole community, and further support the lessons being taught to students in the classroom.
“These sessions are about creating a whole of community approach to tackling issues surrounding mental health, no matter the age,” he said.
“Presenting The Resilience Project at a school level allows us to engage staff and provide resources and activities to teach their students, while it inspires students to keep learning and engaging with The Resilience Project both at school and at home.
“The immersion week, which includes a community night, also gives us a unique opportunity to empower parents with practical strategies to help build their child’s resilience while at home.
“We are giving staff, students and their parents a proactive approach and strategies to tackling mental health and wellbeing at an early age.”
This week’s sessions will include nine presentations through prep to year six, reaching 1400 students and 300 staff, while the community night will cater for more students and parents on Wednesday.
The Cowboys are delivering The Resilience Project to eight schools in Townsville during 2021, while a total of 42 schools in the North and Far North Queensland regions are taking part in the program this year.
