The Resilience Project (TRP)
In 2022 Kingston Primary School incorporated The Resilience Project into our school curriculum and implemented the wellbeing curriculum throughout our classrooms.
The Resilience project was developed by Hugh Van Cuylenburg after spending some time in India teaching in a poor, rural community in 2008. He discovered : “despite the fact these people had very little to call their own, I was continually blown away by how happy they were. It was this experience, and subsequent post graduate studies, that have led me to some pretty simple conclusions about the things that we need to be doing here in Australia if we want to be happier. In a nutshell, I learnt in this desert village that practicing gratitude, empathy (compassion) and mindfulness leads us to a happier more fulfilling experience. Once I discovered these three principles were also evidence based, I thought it might be a good idea to turn this into a program for schools. Turns out it wasn’t just schools that wanted to hear this message!” – Hugh van Cuylenburg
Current research tells us:
- 1 in 4 adolescents have a mental illness.
- 1 in 7 primary school students have a mental illness.
- 1 in 5 adults will experience mental ill-health throughout the year.
- 65%of adolescents do not seek help for mental illness.
The Resilience Project delivers emotionally engaging programs and provides evidence-based, practical strategies to support positive mental health and build resilience. Programs include stories and research on how we can build mental health in our day to day lives, and support the mental health of the children in our care.
Through this program, teachers and students will engage in weekly lessons and activities around the key principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) along with developing their Emotional Literacy, to build resilience.
To support what we’re doing in the classroom, parents and caregivers will receive Take Home Activities from the classroom teacher as well as other pieces of information designed to build their own confidence around resilience, and give ideas to help children and their mental health throughout the year.
Feel free to learn more about The Resilience Project by exploring the ideas, activities and resources which bring Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) to life on TRP@Home.
This hub also gives parents and carers access to 5 x video presentations, the research and supporting activities for their wellbeing: