URSTRONG is pleased to announce that Be You, a national initiative in Australia focused on Mental Health in Education, has accepted our Friendology 101 curriculum into their Be You Program’s Directory. As indicated by Be You, “Friendology 101 has been independently reviewed and is listed in the Be You Programs Directory. It meets the minimum evidence requirements set by Be You and has been awarded a rating for evidence and implementation.”
All programs listed on the Be You Programs Directory were audited through a rigorous assessment process designed in collaboration with experts at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Melbourne.
As part of this process, each program is awarded two ratings: one for evidence and one for implementation. Information about the context in which the evidence was established is also published alongside the program details.
- The evidence rating provides an assessment of the research underpinning the program, including its impact and quality. Friendology received a score of 3/4
- The implementation rating provides an assessment of the program’s training, support, and acceptability by participants and instructors. Friendology received a score of 4/4
Out of 209 programs previously listed, only 29 have been accepted into the new Be You database. Friendology was among only 4 programs in Australia to receive a perfect score on Implementation and among only 5 programs to receive the top score of 7 out of 8.
Friendology 101 + Be You Success Story
Watch this: Coolbinia’s Be You Success Story Video
After attending URSTRONG’s Friendology 101 Educator Training in Perth, Cathy Smith began implementing our whole-school friendship strategy at Coolbinia Primary School. As featured on the Be You website, Friendology has been a huge success at the school:
“There was a real need at Coolbinia. Children were having a lot of trouble managing their friendships and their relationships, and it was impacting on their resilience and their ability to feel confident in themselves,” says Rebekah.
“Really, Friendology is a program that gives them back that power over their relationships and teaches them the key skills about how to navigate those.”
At a basic level, Friendology teaches children the key skills of relationships and how to navigate conflict with their peers.
Disagreements are referred to as ‘friendship fires’, with students taught strategies on how to ‘put them out’. Children act as ambassadors, which involves wearing wristbands to identify themselves to other students as someone they can go and speak to during recess if they’re finding it tough to make friends.
Rebekah is optimistic about the program moving forward.
“I really hope that in the future children feel they have the confidence to be empowered, and to appreciate how pivotal relationships are to future growth, and to sustain those relationships,” she added.
One student who has benefited from being involved in the Friendology program is Carlos Redstall. “Because I’m an educator and a parent, I’ve seen a change in the kids, and it has helped my son, in particular it has helped guide him through some tricky situations.”
Lina is passionate, even emotional, when discussing the impact Be You and Cathy have had on the Coolbinia community. “We needed something like this. I’m grateful for Cathy – she has been a gift to us all,” says Lina. “If I had to give any advice, it’s that Be You can help. Get on the website. Share it. Give it a go.”
