Be You & Friendology at Coolbinia Primary School

At URSTRONG, we believe healthy friendships are fundamental to children’s social-emotional wellbeing. That’s why we’re especially honored to be included in Be You’s directory of evidence-based wellbeing programs.

We want to thank Cathy Smith, Wellbeing Leader, and Be You for recognizing our Friendology curriculum – and for featuring Coolbinia Primary School’s inspiring journey in their “Be You Success Story.” Be sure to check out their inspiring video that captures their journey. It highlights just how transformative friendship skills can be when woven into a whole-school wellbeing strategy. Here’s a printable PDF: Coolbinia A Be You success story

What Coolbinia Has to Say: Key Quotes from the Be You Story

In Be You’s feature of Coolbinia Primary School, several voices stood out — illustrating both the need for and the impact of Friendology:

  • “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.” — Rebekah, Year 5 teacher beyou.edu.au

  • “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.” — Rebekah beyou.edu.au

  • In describing how conflict is addressed, the story explains: “Disagreements are referred to as ‘friendship fires’, with students taught strategies on how to ‘put them out’.” beyou.edu.au

  • The program also builds peer support: “Children act as ambassadors … wearing wristbands … as someone they can go and speak to during recess if they’re finding it tough to make friends.” beyou.edu.au

  • A parent reflected on a powerful shift: “Before Friendology and Be You, Carlos wouldn’t really share much of how he was feeling … He feels more equipped to deal with those situations he found tricky before … I’ve seen him become a lot more confident … I think he feels more equipped to deal with those situations he found tricky before.” beyou.edu.au

  • Rebekah also expressed hope for the future: “I really hope that … children feel … empowered, and … appreciate how pivotal relationships are to future growth, and to sustain those relationships.” beyou.edu.au

  • One parent, Lina, shared her gratitude: “We needed something like this. … I’m grateful for Cathy – she has been a gift to us all.” beyou.edu.au

  • And her advice: “If I had to give any advice, it’s that Be You can help. … Give it a go.” beyou.edu.au

Why These Quotes Matter

These reflections from Coolbinia resonate deeply with URSTRONG’s mission: We don’t just teach friendship vocabulary – we empower children with skills, agency, and confidence to handle real relationship challenges.

  • By referring to conflict as “friendship fires”, Friendology gives children a safe, normalized way to talk about and de-escalate disagreement.

  • Training ambassadors with wristbands reinforces peer support, making it more likely that children will reach out when they struggle socially.

  • The shift in Carlos, from silence to openness, shows how Friendology builds emotional literacy and communication skills.

  • And perhaps most importantly, teachers like Rebekah see the long-term value: helping children understand how relationships shape growth, resilience, and wellbeing.

Deep Gratitude to Be You

We are deeply grateful to Be You for including URSTRONG’s Friendology friendship skills curriculum in their directory of rigorously assessed, evidence-based programs. Their assessment process (in collaboration with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne) awarded our program 3/4 for evidence and 4/4 for implementation.

To Cathy Smith, Rebekah Melville, and to everyone at Coolbinia Primary School… Thank you for trusting in the power of friendship skills. Thank you for investing in children’s ability to navigate relationships with kindness, confidence, and understanding. Your story continues to inspire us.

If you’re an educator or parent wanting to bring Friendology to your school or community, we’d love to connect. Reach out anytime at info@urstrong.com.

Here’s to building more resilient, caring, and connected communities – one friendship at a time.

~The URSTRONG Team