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RESPECT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM (R.A.P)

R.A.P teaches children what respect ACTUALLY is!

R.A.P is a violence prevention program. It breaks down respect into age appropriate concepts & develops these skills through an interactive mix of media, art, role-play & mindfulness. It uses positive psychology, emotional intelligence & bystander education to promote prosocial behaviours. It proposes a unique model of peer education, through creating student Respect Ambassadors.

Victoria Australia
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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

Victoria, Australia

Web presence

2009

Established

-

Children

1

Countries
Updated
March 2018
The only effective long term solution to bullying is to address what drives the bullying behaviour. We employ empathy and compassion for the 'bully', so that these children can get the help they need to deal with their own suffering. We then empower the bystanders to be UPSTANDERS, to safely and effectively stand up against bullying.

About the innovation

What is the Respect Ambassador Program?

The Respect Ambassador Program (RAP) is designed as a violence prevention program that educates young people how to behave respectfully and compassionately towards others. The skills, language and bystander training are aimed at modifying both current primary school behaviour and, by extension, the behaviour of these individuals as they mature into adults.

The RAP was informed by the work NIRODAH has completed in schools with two successful programs, KidzBiz and Be the Hero! Both of these violence prevention programs feature bystander education as their key platform and both focus upon education strategies for developing respectful relationships as an antidote to violent behaviours.

Particular to the RAP is the core theme of compassion and empathy for the bully, an approach that runs counter to many bullying interventions. Informed through NIRODAH’s direct work with disengaged young people, input from our team of psychologists, and evidence based research, we know that, in many cases, the perpetrator of violence is often a victimof trauma themselves. In turn, their behaviours can work as defense mechanisms or may be used as distraction from their own pain.

NIRODAH has now delivered RAP into 20 schools in Victoria and Tasmania with enormous success. We were selected to present the findings of RAP at the National Centre Against Bullying conference in Melbourne in 2014 and 2016.

Informed from world best practice antiviolence programs, particularly the American Blueprints model, RAP will educate young people in the appropriate use of language and positive behaviours, and integrates peer-to-peer education. It provides students with the skills andlanguage that they can use to build a safe and respectful school community.

Impact & scalability

Implementation steps

Train the Trainer

Staff are required to complete 1 days training in the Respect Ambassador Program. All resources, including lesson plans are provided to make the delivery of this program as easy as possible. When your school purchases RAP, the resources can be utilised by any of the staff and are not limited to those who attend the training.

Choose your time frame for roll out

It's designed in such a way that it can stand alone or be easily incorporated into your existing bullying prevention strategies.

We would suggest you run R.A.P over 4-5 weeks but you can deliver it in the timeframe that suits your school, over weeks or months.

Celebrate!

At the conclusion, a celebration evening is held where the parents are invited to see the wonderful achievements of their children. The children have a chance to demonstrate the skills they have learnt, sing their song, show their movie and their artwork. It's a great opportunity to get the broader school community on board and have a whole school approach to bullying prevention.

How to Guide: Respect Ambassador Program

An Overall How-To Guide: By HundrED Spotlight on Victoria

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