Embrace Kids: Creating Change

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• collaboration
• communication
• initiative
• leadership
• reflection
• social skills

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description:

Year 5 & 6, HPE:

• Explain how identities can be influenced by people and places, and how we can create positive self-identities (AC9HP6P01).
• Describe and implement strategies to value diversity in their communities (AC9HP6P05).

General capabilities: Personal and Social Capability

Syllabus outcomes: Stage 3, PDHPE

PD3-7

• proposes and implements actions and protective strategies that promote health, safety, wellbeing and physically active spaces

Relevant parts of Year 5 & 6 achievement standards: Students explain how different factors influence identities. They propose strategies to demonstrate respect, empathy and inclusion. They explain how stereotypes influence roles and responsibilities. Students explain how communication skills, protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies keep themselves and others safe online and offline. They analyse health information to refine strategies to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing. 

UN SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being

• Creating Change Flim Clip
• Creating Change Slides
• Device to share media, and slides with the class
• Student worksheet (1 per presentation group)

Embrace Kids is an uplifting film by Taryn Brumfitt that brings together a vibrant collection of stories from young people and famous friends alike, who share their experiences of body image, bullying, gender identity, advocacy, representation and more. This film aims to improve the body image of young people across Australia and the world. Aimed at 10-14-year-olds - but equally engaging for adolescents, teachers and parents - this film inspires, educates and advocates for a world where we are not held back by the thoughts we have about the way we look. Instead, young people are encouraged to figure out what makes them unique and special and use that to spark change.

The Embrace Kids Classroom Program was designed by body image researchers, teachers, and clinicians.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium - Share media with the class, scaffold class discussion, support small group and individual work.

Taking Care of Yourself

Teaching is a rewarding yet demanding career and it is dependent on teachers, those amazing humans who invest a lot of personal energy into their work. The majority of teachers’ work involves juggling the many competing demands of a complex job including long hours preparing and correcting student work and attending to administrative tasks. To avoid burnout teachers need to take time for themselves by incorporating self-care practices into their daily lives.