Coward Punch School And Community Facilitation Guide

Project information:

STOP the Coward Punch by Danny Green aims to eliminate the coward punch from society and save lives in the process. Between 1990 and 2020, 234 Australians have been killed by a coward punch and many more were injured. The coward punch leaves a devastating ripple through society, mentally and physically scarring family, friends and survivors for life. The STOP the Coward Punch campaign began in 2012 to raise awareness of the devastating impact of this scourge in our society. It aims to educate people about the risks, so they don’t make a choice they’ll regret for the rest of their lives.

The STOP the Coward Punch education package

The STOP the Coward Punch education package aims to spread awareness about the devastating effects of the coward punch on our community. It explores the social constructs that shape behaviours and attitudes toward violent and aggressive behaviours, whilst investigating statistics behind coward punches in Australia. Young people will learn about the legal and personal implications of the coward punch and explore strategies to reduce its incidences. STOP the Coward Punch continues its mission, through the education resources, to eliminate this particularly cowardly form of violence from society and save lives, and importantly, rebrand the formerly known 'king hit' or 'one punch' as a 'coward punch'.

This education package was developed by a team of experts, including a youth worker, education specialist and specialist teachers and references the latest research and laws on coward punches.

The supporting resources include a Facilitation Guide to support a whole-community approach, a Take It Home Resource Pack for parents/caregivers and three one-on-one workshops designed to support young people who may be displaying risk factors for coward punches or violent behaviours. There are also two introductory workshops and over 40 lessons contained within the following subject-specific units:

Health and Physical Education Years 7 & 8
Health and Physical Education Years 9 & 10
English - Years 7 to 10
Civics and Citizenship - Years 7 to 10
Science - Years 7 to 10
The Arts - Years 7 to 10

While each lesson or unit can be delivered independently, we recommend a broad whole-community approach to achieve the greatest impact.

Contents

Part A

A Whole-community Approach

Part B

The Take It Home Resource Pack

Part C

Open Communication

Part D

Key Players

Part E

Always Put Safety First

Part F

Use A Strength-based Approach With Young People

Part G

About Coward Punches

Part H

The Lessons

Part A: A whole-community approach

The STOP the Coward Punch education package includes Introductory Workshops for the Years 7 & 8 and Years 9 & 10 cohorts. We recommend that prior to engaging students in subject-specific units, that your entire cohort attends one of these Introductory Workshops. The Introductory Workshops are designed to cater for large groups, but could equally work with smaller groups with minimal alterations.

We recommend you have several facilitators or adults present at the Introductory Workshops and nominate a lead facilitator. Engaging multiple adults sends a strong message that the content has broad support and provides young people with multiple avenues to follow up with a trusted adult when encountering any complex or challenging issues. Depending on your cohort, you may consider inviting adults from other groups or organisations (such as coaches, Elders or religious leaders) to send an even stronger message that your community is serious about its stance against violent behaviours. Ultimately, one coward punch can affect an entire community, so having others involved in the program is a powerful and visual reminder to students who those people might be.

Before commencing the Introductory Workshops and subject-specific units, it’s also strongly recommended that you invite parents/caregivers and interested community members to a community information session (view slides), explaining the rationale behind the education package and sharing some of the content. Here is an Email Invitation Template you can use. This can be a great way to get volunteer attendees for the student Introductory Workshops.

You can use this slide presentation with facilitation notes to run this community information session. We recommend the involvement of a Senior Leader (such as a principal, Elder or head coach) and translators in the delivery of this session, to demonstrate community-wide support of this message.

Part B: The take it home resource pack

Tip 1

The STOP the Coward Punch program comes with a related Take It Home Resource Pack which includes the following:

What To Expect
Communicating With Facilitators
Communicating With Young People
If You Notice At-Risk Behaviours
Where To Get Help
About Coward Punches
The Lessons - a brief summary

Parents/carers and concerned community members should be directed to the Take It Home Resource Pack during the community information session and via other appropriate communication channels. The most important aim of the Take It Home Resource Pack is to support parents/carers in engaging in conversations with their children around 'coward punches' and related information. A shared understanding and language around the topic will provide young people with security and trust in what they are learning.

Part C: Open communication

You might consider providing regular reminders about the STOP the Coward Punch education package in your regular newsletter or communications. You could even use your social media channels or newsletters to highlight any videos or articles you think might appeal to your community.

Ensure all staff members across the organisation or school are informed of the topics, vocabulary and messages in the education package so they can be reinforced and continued long past the delivery of the final session. They can access the connected online course that explores risk and protective factors for violence and how to manage aggressive and violent behaviours. We strongly recommend all facilitators of the STOP the Coward Punch education package complete this course.

Be direct with young people when discussing topics related to coward punches and violence in the community. Using vague metaphors only sows confusion. By being aware of the real consequences of coward punches, young people can make better decisions and support their peers who may be struggling with violence-related issues. By informing them, rather than sparing them from the facts and statistics, they can come to understand that there is no positive outcome from this type of violence and look for preventative strategies wherever they can.

Part D: Key players

The following professionals will be vital inclusions in the implementation of this program:

Leadership - It’s important that the principal, head coach, Elder or other leaders champion this program and get fully behind it. A whole-community approach is the best way to address violence and aggression and encourage more healthy expressions. Having community leaders involved shows parents/caregivers and young people that they should take this topic seriously.
Mental health - Invite a psychologist, counsellor, wellbeing coordinator, youth or social worker and/or nurse to be involved where possible. These professionals are trained in how to handle sensitive topics and will be able to help you identify students in need of additional support and provide counselling or referrals as needed. They may also have existing histories on affected individuals, so will be able to advise how best to approach the content with these individuals.
Classroom teachers - If running this program in a school or education facility, all teachers will need to be aware of the package, especially if you use internal relief staff. Consider presenting some basic information to all staff prior to the delivery of the community information session and Introductory Workshops. This will allow them an opportunity to ask any questions they might have and conduct additional research as needed.
Parents/caregivers - Getting parents/caregivers on board is a very powerful way to support young people. While this may not always be possible for students who most need it, try to engage parents/caregivers wherever possible. Get them in on the ground through your community Introductory Workshop.
Translators - Consider providing translators for any hearing-impaired individuals or those who speak other languages in your community. While it may not be possible for all languages groups to be supported this way, the more families you can reach with this information, the more impact this program will make. Some community members may need help understanding why you are addressing this topic in your context and how they can support your efforts.
Community - Make the most of the expertise you have in your community to support your efforts. The local police will often be willing to discuss the laws pertaining to violent and aggressive behaviours and provide advice on how to de-escalate conflicts. You might find you have some community members with other expertise to share, such as parents who are drug and alcohol counsellors, anger management specialists, martial arts teachers or lawyers. They could provide examples of how they handle conflict, addiction or challenging emotions and events.

Part E: Always put safety first

Throughout the resources, there are references to the Handling Sensitive Topics and Issues Factsheet and advice on how/when to use it. Print it out and keep it somewhere on display so you and your students can review it at the beginning of each STOP the Coward Punch lesson.

Print extra copies of the second page of the Handling Sensitive Topics and Issues Factsheet and display them in the bathrooms, foyers and wellbeing areas so young people can access them in private or somewhere safe. If you are concerned about any information you learn about a student, refer them to this resource, or your wellbeing team. There are also additional referral services provided in the one-on-one workshops for students with specific issues.

Remember at all times that some parents or caregivers may not be a suitable 'trusted adult'. Before communicating any sensitive information with students' families or caregivers, always check in with the young person about who their trusted adults are.

Regardless of your professional status, unless you are a qualified lawyer, psychologist or psychiatrist, it is not your job to give legal or life advice, recommend medications or diagnose issues. If you believe a young person needs professional advice, ensure you do what you can to support them in finding it as soon as possible. If in doubt, or if you have serious concerns about any student's safety or wellbeing, refer them to your wellbeing team, principal or relevant authority immediately. They can then follow the appropriate protocols.

Of particular note when dealing with perpetrators of violent crime (or other crimes), consider that any information they share with you about the event could put you in a situation where you have to speak in court, perhaps even against them. Think carefully before you pursue any lines of questioning and do so only if you fully understand the ramifications. In some situations, you may need to seek legal advice yourself.

Part F: Use a strength-based approach with young people

These resources have been created using a strength-based approach. This means that it is important to acknowledge that young people have a lot to offer. They have gifts and internal resources that they can use and build upon to create a better life for themselves. They are fully able to understand and control their emotions and this also means taking responsibility for their actions.

You can learn more about strength-based approaches here:

https://positivepsychology.com/strengths-based-interventions/
https://strongersmarter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PUBstrength-based-approachesfinal_2020.pdf
https://education.vic.gov.au/documents/childhood/professionals/learning/strengthbappr.pdf

Part G: About coward punches

Before conducting each lesson, it is recommended that facilitators familiarise themselves with the latest statistics (e.g. VIFM Research Update 2019) and STOP the Coward Punch advertising campaigns.

Significant considerations of trends between 2002 - 2012 and 2012 - 2019 data will be helpful to shape conversations with young people and families and they include:

There was a decreasing trend in deaths, from 14 in 2012 down to 6 in 2018.
The median age was 44 (range 18-71) years, demonstrating a drop in younger victims (previously 33 years).
In our previous study, the majority of deaths occurred on a weekend (52.3%), however, the new data indicated a shift towards weekday assaults, with 58.5% occurring between Monday and Friday.
Saturday still incurred the highest proportion of assaults compared with any other day, representing a quarter of all cases (25.6%).
The drop in deaths occurring in licensed venues was noteworthy; only 8.5% of deaths occurred in hotels, bars or other licensed venues, compared with 41% in our previous study. However, 34 deaths (41.5%) occurred on a footpath or roadside, of which 17 (20.7%) had been at a licensed venue immediately prior.
When categorised according to whether or not the location was related to attendance at a licensed venue, the differences are even more obvious: those that occurred at, around or upon leaving a hotel/pub/licensed venue comprised 24 cases in total (29.3%), whereas those that occurred in or around a home, shop, public transport stop or footpath/roadway not having recently attended a licensed venue comprised 58 cases overall (70.7%).

Part H: The lessons

You can access the entire STOP the Coward Punch education resource package in one place. Here is a summary of what it includes:

Health and Physical Education - Young people will explore a range of personal and interpersonal skills, learning to manage their emotions and challenge destructive behaviours. They will explore how humans relate to one another and learn communication strategies for preventing potentially violent events from occurring.
English - Young people will explore the ways that violence is portrayed in media and creative texts. They will have opportunities to analyse texts and create their own.
Civics and Citizenship - Young people will investigate the criminal prosecution process as applicable to Australian laws, the operations of the criminal justice system, the role of the court and the ways in which the law changes and grows through public and political engagement.
Science - Young people will examine the physics behind punches, the forces involved in coward punch attacks and the irreversible effect on the body's systems.
The Arts - Drama, Visual Art and Media Art lessons support young people to explore creative ways of expressing and challenging issues around violence. They will explore the works of other artists and develop techniques and strategies in each artform that will challenge them to take a stand against violence and aggressive masculine stereotypes.

Coward Punch - Facilitation Guide

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