Acknowledgements
Part 1: Setting the Scene
Introduction
The Sessions
Part 2: Staff Preparation
PowerPoint Presentation
General Guidance on Delivering the Programme
Part 3: Building Resilience
Session 1: What is resilience?
This session provides an introduction to the programme. It introduces students to the concept of resilience as being about psychological strength and provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of what they need to flourish. It also introduces students to the four 'bounce-back muscles' of resilience which form the backbone of the programme.
Session 2: Visualise success
This session focuses on students developing an awareness of themselves as unique individuals each with their own life story to date. It aims to enhance each student's capacity to build a personal vision of success.
By giving young people the opportunity to create their own narrative we are enabling them to voice their own opinions and be listened to non-judgementally. If young people are praised for the person that they are rather than being approved for playing roles they are more likely to be authentic and will feel less of a need to be something they are not.
Session 3: Strength spotting
This session is about identifying and celebrating character strengths and fostering talents. It is about building on the qualities that students already have and maximising their influence. Providing opportunities for students' strengths and talents to emerge cements connections and encourages students to feel positive about themselves and others. Often students are good at things that they or we don’t notice or they don't value. Discovering their abilities, sensitivities or talents is about bringing their 'social capital' out for others to see.
Session 4: Think it through
Self-efficacy is the sense that one can master one's environment. Resilient individuals believe that they have control over what they do and what happens to them. They know that they can influence their life in the right direction. They have what is termed a strong internal locus of control and believe that they are responsible for themselves and can make things happen in their lives. This means they can think things through, make decisions and take action. They are proactive, flexible and know they can change their mind. On the other hand, individuals with an external locus of control tend to think of themselves as victims, on the receiving end of what others do and unable to influence the things that happen in their lives. Providing a structure for enabling students to think things through, problem solve and make sound decisions is vital for the development of resilient behaviour. In this session students are introduced to the skills for making sound decisions and explore how to apply this process to real life situations.
Session 5: Glass half full
In this session students explore the importance of developing an optimistic approach to life as looking on the bright side can promote good health, foster positive relationships with others and also help to build intellectual and psychological reserves.
Session 6: Think good: feel good
The aim of this session is to enable students to understand that optimistic and pessimistic individuals construe the world differently. Students are introduced to the thinking skills that promote a resilient approach to adversity; stress and adversity need not create feelings of helplessness and wanting to give up, rather they demand problem solving and creativity. This session teaches students how to minimise negativity and that the key is to start thinking differently about things.
Session 7: Strictly stress
In this session students are introduced to the nature and causes of stress, how to identify the sources of stress in their lives and to understand healthy ways of managing it effectively. The key building blocks of resilience are emphasised, including the importance of a healthy lifestyle, building positive relationships with others and being assertive.
Session 8: Be a friend
Positive relationships with others can protect us from the stressful and debilitating effects of adversity. Friendships depend upon having positive values and the capacity to act in a helpful, caring and responsible way towards others. The development of empathy is a crucial building block for prosocial behaviours. In this session students are introduced to the importance of building connections with others and explore the actions they need to take to ensure they have the support they need in their lives.
Session 9: Be a doer and make hope happen
In this session students learn that being full of hope for the future leads to having meaningful goals. The strategies for choosing goals and the pathways for selecting them are explored. Students discover that hopeful individuals select challenging goals for themselves.
Session 10: Red rags
The skills of resilience, learning how to build empathy, communicate more effectively and really hear what the other person is saying leads to healthy communication and constructive ways of responding to differences. In this session students are introduced to the concept of conflict as being about a clash of ideas, wishes, needs or interests between people and that, appropriately handled, can have positive outcomes. Students are introduced to a framework for identifying which course of action is most appropriate in a variety of situations bearing in mind the outcome they want to achieve.
Session 11: GRIT
In this session students are introduced to the concepts of 'fixed' and 'growth' mindsets and the importance of 'grit', persistence and effort.
Session 12: Be yourself
This session introduces a questionnaire for students to complete as a way of consolidating their learning throughout the programme. This session also celebrates the end of the programme and certificates should be distributed to each student. The capacity to build happy memories is an important part of resilience.
Part 4: Creating Resilient Classrooms
Continuing work in schools
Further Reading and Useful Websites
References
