Last Friday, the Year 11 students went to TBI to participate in a new program, THRIVE [this has replaced ‘Flourish Girl’ and ‘Man Cave’], an intra-year level bonding program with the mixing of genders. My group had 3 incredible leaders, Josh, Tal and Zoe. The program was on mental health and how to support friends who are struggling. We started the day with games and fun activities. Then we created values for our group to uphold to create a safe environment. We talked about the importance of being real – to ourselves and for others. Then we did ‘check ins’. Essentially, anyone who wanted to ‘check in’ could, and it involved telling the group how you have been feeling lately, and anything else on your mind. I found the experience really powerful. Everyone was so supportive and respectful and at times, very emotional. After many tears and hugs they ended the day with a few more games and strategies to help friends in need. I thought the whole program was incredibly moving and would love to do something similar in the future.

by Tara Rotstein, Year 11