URSTRONG workshops

Program description

URSTRONG workshops empower students with friendship skills while providing teachers and parents with language and skills to support them.

The Day of Friendship (student) workshops combine teaching of core concepts with skills-development activities including questions, case-studies and role playing. A range of age-tailored workshops are available as below:

• 'Fuzzies and Friends' for Grades 1 and 2
• 'Heart of Friendship' for Grades 3 and 4
• 'Friendship Fires' for Grades 5 and 6, and
• 'Friendship Tips for Teens' for Year 7.

The Language of Friendship (parent-child) workshop provides kids, parents, and teachers a common language for talking about friendships, helping them connect and open those lines of communication.

Intended outcomes

• Increased self-confidence and sense of control
• Increased acceptance of conflict and change and improved conflict management and problem-solving skills
• Increased self-awareness and sense of self-worth
• Improved emotional regulation skills
• Increased knowledge of the importance of trust and respect
• An increased ability to problem-solve autonomously, without expecting teachers or parents to solve their problems for them
• An increased understanding that conflict is a normal part of a friendship

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: Students in Prep to Year 8 and their teachers, parents and health and wellbeing staff.
• Program adaptability: URSTRONG can modify workshop content to reflect the unique issues or needs of a school. Core concepts are always covered in the same manner; however, case studies and role-playing activities are modified to better reflect students' experiences.
• Staffing: Backfilling is not required as URSTRONG presenters deliver the workshops. The Menu provider and its personnel must not be alone with any school student or group of school students in the classroom or in any other place at the school’s premises without another educator, teacher or teacher’s aide present at all times.
• Training requirements: There are no training requirements for schools prior to implementation of the program.
• Factors to consider: Schools are required to provide a reliable internet connection and a projection device (e.g. whiteboard). Provisions can be made for schools with unreliable internet speeds. A minimum of 40 participants per workshop is required to enhance the overall experience. Exceptions are made for schools with smaller student numbers. Workshops range in duration from 45 to 90 minutes
• Australian context: The program has been developed and applied in Australia.

Cost

Minimum cost

$1,000+

Detailed cost

URSTRONG’s Day of Friendship workshops are priced at:

• $33 per student for face-to-face delivery (including GST)
• $27.50 per student for online delivery (including GST).

All workshops require a minimum of 40 and no maximum number of participants.

Travel costs for one x facilitator are applicable for schools 200 km+ outside of Melbourne and are based on ATO mileage rates.

Discounts off the workshop price (excluding GST) are available for large group bookings:

• 10% for 100+ participants
• 15% for 200+ participants
• 20% for 300+ participants
• 25% for 400+ participants.

URSTRONG’s Language of Friendship workshops are priced at:

• $3,850 for face-to-face delivery (including GST)
• $2,750 for online delivery (including GST).