Stop the Coward Punch - Building Mental Toughness and Preventing Violence

These resources are part of the STOP the Coward Punch Education Resources suite of resources created in collaboration with Danny Green’s STOP the Coward Punch Campaign.

This Year 7 & 8 HPE unit, Building Mental Toughness and Preventing Violence, has been designed to

• explore the root causes of violence by understanding how aggression leads to violence, learning about different models of aggression and categorising its various forms
• examine the consequences of violence for everyone involved, identify risk and protective factors and develop strategies to support those most at risk
• differentiate between bystander and upstander behaviours and discover how upstanders can actively deflect bullying or aggressive behaviours
• evaluate the role of empathy and collaboration in preventing violence, practising verbal strategies for de-escalation
• understand the difference between ‘acting tough’ and genuine mental toughness, exploring grit and other components of resilience
• create a social campaign that shifts peer group focus from physical toughness to mental toughness, fostering a supportive and positive environment.

In these lessons, students will distinguish between ‘acting tough’ and true mental toughness, develop upstander strategies and explore the causes and consequences of violence. They will also evaluate their own risk factors, design support strategies for at-risk peers and create a social campaign that promotes resilience and shifts focus from physical toughness to mental grit.

Scroll down to explore each lesson or click the download button on the right-hand side of this unit to download the entire unit at once. ✨