Safer Together parent seminar

The College P&F Association worked in conjunction with the Mission and Wellbeing office to hold a ‘Safer Together’ parent seminar.

Objective: Providing parents of St Augustine’s College with knowledge, tools and strategies to support their son’s relationship and journey in high school. A list of resources will be provided at the end of the session.

Session Outline:

1. The high school journey
1.1 Impact of high school: academically, peer dynamics and emotional development
1.2 Facing new challenges: from academic to social
1.3 Dealing with change: Fight/Flight/Freeze explained and teen brain development (Dr D Siegel). Supportive parental strategies.

2. Healthy vs unhealthy relationships
2.1 Spotting red flags/unhealthy or toxic friendships
2.2 Bullying: types of bullying, understanding microaggressions, impact of trauma - Dr Bruce Perry
2.3 What makes a healthy friendship?
2.4 Peer pressure and its role in forming unhealthy relationships
2.5 Encouraging boys to report bullying without the fear of being labelled a ‘snitch’
2.6 How to encourage your son to adopt upstander behaviour in the face of bullying - safely.

3. Role of technology & legislation
3.1 Technology abuse: social media, gaming platforms, risk of online bullying
3.2 Sexting, pornography, stalking, coercive control
3.3 Responsible behaviour online
3.4 The NSW laws: from coercive control to cyberbullying and sexting.

4. Having conversations about bullying
4.1 If your child discloses they are being bullied
4.2 Tools for parents:

• Starting difficult conversations about bullying, friendships, social behaviour
• Active listening, validating emotions
• When to seek help: school, police, external resources.

The seminar was a great opportunity for parents to meet in person and discuss common experiences raising adolescent boys.