On Monday, 7 March, all Year 8 students were invited to watch The Hurting Game, a performance by Brainstorm Productions. This experience sparked off conversations on friendships, online behaviour, resilience and the mental health issues many adolescents face.

The Hurting Game explored the skills students in this current age and time will require, in order to cope with life’s challenges and build meaningful connections. The performance highlighted the games we play to give ourselves a false sense of power and belonging, which can lead to anxiety, loneliness and disconnection. It challenged students to think about how they treat themselves and others, be it online or offline, and provided strategies for breaking unhealthy behaviour patterns.

Issues such as cyberbullying, mental health and body image were explored in a Question and Answer Session, post performance. The themes that were unpacked in The Hurting Game will continue to be unpacked in future Wellness lessons.

The Wellbeing Team continues to look for opportunities that bring together our College community to promote the message that ‘bullying and violence are not okay’. The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence will be held on Friday, 18 March. The theme of the year is 'Kindness Culture'. A range of activities will be available on the day to all students to promote inclusiveness, respect and community belonging within the College.