On Friday 18 September 2026, our Year 8 students will participate in a joint wellbeing day with Year 8 students from St Joseph's College as part of The Respect Project: Connect, Respect, Thrive. This initiative has been co-designed by our two College communities to strengthen the connection between our brother and sister schools and provide students with meaningful opportunities to develop new connections, healthy respectful relationships, positive friendships and a stronger sense of belonging.
As Respectful Relationships schools, St Joseph’s College and Sacred Heart College recognise that connection and belonging are important foundations for young people to feel safe, valued and supported. Year 8 is a significant stage of social and emotional development, and The Respect Project will provide students with a supportive environment in which to build confidence, empathy, communication skills and an understanding of what respectful relationships look like both online and offline.
Students will participate in workshops across both Colleges throughout the day and will meet together for a shared lunch at Sacred Heart College. The age-appropriate workshops and activities are designed to engage them in important conversations about wellbeing, relationships, respect and navigating adolescence.
The day includes a Digital vs Reality workshop delivered by Elephant Ed, exploring the influence of sexualised media and online content, body image, consent and the pressures young people may experience in digital environments.
Students will participate in an interactive presentation from The Butterfly Foundation, focusing on body image, appearance pressures, media influences and developing a healthy relationship with themselves and their bodies.
Alongside these presentations, students will participate in The Respect Project Trivia, providing a fun and relaxed opportunity for students from both schools to work collaboratively, meet new people and build connections. Through team-based activities, students will explore themes including respect, consent, online safety, body image, peer pressure and being an active bystander.
Importantly, The Respect Project will extend beyond this one day. It represents an ongoing partnership between St Joseph’s College and Sacred Heart College, creating further opportunities for our students to connect, learn from one another and develop the skills and confidence needed to Connect, Respect and Thrive.
We encourage parents and carers to continue the conversation at home by talking with their child about their experiences. These conversations will help reinforce the key messages and support young people to apply their learning to everyday life. We value the important role families play as the first educators of their children and look forward to working in partnership to support the wellbeing, growth and development of our young people.
