URSTRONG and Eastland share a strong, mutual interest in empowering youth and school communities while positively influencing all aspects of their lives via the development of healthy friendships.
URSTRONG empowers kids with friendship skills while providing parents and teachers with a common language to support them. Youth gain the tools they need to foster friendships that are transparent, supportive, and rooted in integrity.
A whole-community strategy, URSTRONG utilises the Friendology 101 curriculum, the Educator and Parent Resource Centres, and a variety of workshops and teacher training sessions. Using practical, step-by-step instruction, students learn how to differentiate and manage conflict (Friendship Fires™ vs Mean-on-Purpose) with kindness and respect.
The Friendship Journal
The Friendship Journal has been partially subsidised by Eastland as a commitment to supporting the youth of Maroondah and leadership in creating a healthy and connected community.
This annual planner for schools is designed to promote mental health + wellbeing through friendship skills. With reflection questions, activities, and monthly themes, the Friendship Journal ties URSTRONG’s whole-school friendship strategy together – connecting home + school on a daily basis.
• Friendship Ninja Tracker: Students set a friendship goal (e.g. help out friends) and track it for 2 weeks on a fun, playful colouring-in activity. At the end of the 2 weeks, they also record their friendships on the Friend-o-meter to see if there’s a link (e.g. did helping my friends out more improve my friendships?)
• Monthly Themes: Each month looks at wellbeing through the lens of friendship. The 12 themes are: self-compassion, respect, trust, diversity, kindness, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, courage, honesty, fun, and community!
• Loads of Learning Opportunities: Each month features a country so kids can learn a new language, reflection questions, activities, quotes…so many “Teachable Moments” woven in and lots of links to our Friendology 101 curriculum.
We can’t wait to see these in the hands of the kids of Maroondah and feel they will be the perfect way to reinforce a common ‘language of friendship’ between kids, parents, and teachers.
URSTRONG Schools in Maroondah are;
• Bayswater Primary School
• Bayswater West Primary School
• Bayswater South Primary School
• Croydon Community School
• Croydon Hills Primary School
• Eastwood Primary School
• Great Ryrie Primary School
• Heathmont College
• Kalinda Primary School
• Mullum Primary School
• Ringwood Heights Primary School
• Ringwood North Primary School
• Tinternvale Primary School
• Warranwood Primary School
• Yarra Road Primary School
To find out more about URSTRONG click here.
