This setting includes childcare and early learning centres, and primary and secondary schools, including specialist schools.
Why this setting?
Education settings at every level — early childhood, primary and secondary — have near universal reach to Australian children and young people. Education settings play an important role in the socialisation and development of children and young people.
Key opportunities
- Shaping positive attitudes and behaviours among children and young people to identify and challenge gender stereotypes and violence-supportive attitudes in their daily lives, the media and popular culture.
- Supporting children and young people to build their skills and establish respectful and equal relationships, including by modelling these behaviours.
- Skilling up and empowering young people to advocate for gender equality and non-violence and positively influence their peers, as well as future generations.
Things you can do
- Classroom activities can enable students to critique gender inequality and violence supportive attitudes and promote respectful relationships. Find here a range of resources supporting primary and secondary classroom activities.
- Professional learning activities can support school staff to understand the issues, model respectful behaviour and enhance their teaching practice.
- Organisational change activities, such as the development of policies and activity focusing on the school as a workplace promoting gender equality, can help to create more gender equitable schools.
Respectful relationship education tools
Website
A website to help schools promote gender equalityThe Respectful Relationships Education website by Our Watch supports schools to promote gender equality and create an Australia free from violence.
PDF
An evidence paper about respectful relationships in schoolsThis evidence paper by Our Watch summarises the findings of the literature to guide future actions by education systems in their efforts to end violence against women.
Resources for young people aged 14+
Website
A website for young people about sex, dating and relationshipsThe Line talks about what's OK and what's not when it comes to sex, dating and relationships with content for young people, practitioners and educators and parents and carers.