For more than ten years, MacKillop has offered its Year 11 students a unique four-session unit developed by the College and especially targeted for this age group, as part of our structured Pastoral Care Program. The College counsellor and male and female teachers facilitate separate gender group sessions for students across four PCP timeslots during term 3.
Recent research by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) has some confronting statistics on rates of violence against women and men from the age of fifteen onwards. The primary goal of this program is for young people (both male and female) to become better informed and empowered to make good choices, using a variety of resources, large and small group discussion, and guest speakers from organisations such as MATES, Waratah and Community Policing.
An acronym for Preventing Abuse in Relationships, the PAIR unit aims to raise awareness that the use of violence and abuse is unacceptable human behaviour, and that the domination of women in intimate relationships or blaming women who become victims of abuse is never justifiable. While acknowledging that this is an issue for our society and community, and perhaps a personal concern for many, the discussions encourage values of non-violence, equity, justice and safety, and how we can reflect these in our attitudes and behaviours.
We encourage families to open up discussion with your teenage son or daughter on their response to the sessions, and about relationship behaviour in general.
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