Building positive relationships between female students
One of the most common complaints Stride hears from schools, is around conflict within female student relationships, both primary and secondary. What we are seeing is that many girls go to school today, concerned about issues with their peers but aren’t aware of how to deal with them. MPower Girls empowers students to more effectively manage these relationships and to be better prepared for the everyday social challenges of school.
How MPower Girls works
MPower Girls focuses on changing the culture of how a class or whole year level of students interact with each other. Incorporating Narrative Therapy, the program gets female students to be more mindful of how they think, talk and act towards each other. The program explores the themes of being a good friend, the impact of body language on others and the effects of negative comments. Within this framework, students are given specific skills to effectively problem-solve peer issues, to be assertive in conflict situations, reduce stereotyping and be more mindful of how their actions affect their peers.
As a result, we find girls are able to forge more respectful relationships, manage conflict scenarios better, and build resilience within themselves.
Links to Australian Curriculum
Personal and Social Capability Learning Continuum
- Express Emotions Appropriately – Levels 4, 5
- Negotiate and Resolve Conflict – Levels 4, 5
- Make Decisions – Levels 4, 5
- Communicate Effectively – Levels 4, 5
- Understand Relationships – Levels 4, 5
Testimonials
“Many of the girls are talking more openly and have appeared to become closer. Skills gained through the MPower Girls program include increased confidence, connectedness with other girls and staff as well as the ability to speak one’s own mind and be assertive in a positive way.”
June – Secondary School Teacher
“The school has found that MPower Girls has been very effective and has given girls a platform to talk more openly and be more empathetic with each other. The main benefit has been increased communication skills.”
Sally – Secondary School Teacher