Reach School Programs

Reach

Reach builds social and emotional wellbeing in children and young people to help them discover their power and develop their capacity to thrive.

Overview

Alignment with Be You Domains

Mentally Healthy Communities
Learning Resilience
Early Support

Alignment with Australian Curriculum

Health and PE

Target audience

Primary school
Secondary school

Target groups

Not provided

Program delivery

Whole year level

Aims

In primary schools, Reach works by supporting students to build their social and emotional skills early and prepare for the transition into adolescence and secondary school. The workshops aim to improve resilience and self-belief, enhance emotional and social skills, and improve students' connections with their peers. In secondary schools, Reach workshops aim to build empathy and acceptance among peer groups, support students to strengthen resilience and gain a greater sense of self. Reach aims to create a stronger learning environment for secondary students, and the drive to pursue the things that give our lives purpose and meaning.

Program theory

Reach uses promotion, prevention and early intervention approaches to support mental health and wellbeing. The Reach Model has 5 main components: 1. Use of The Hero’s Journey structure, drawing on contemporary culture and storytelling. 2. Safe and supportive spaces. 3. A youth participation model and youth-led approach. 4. Group work process and psychological theories and practices to support individuals to understand themselves, others and the world. 5. A safety net of trained psychologists and social workers.

Topics

Topics are related to social and emotional wellbeing in adolescence and protective factors, such as: self-worth and understanding of self; competence and autonomy; feeling able to pursue and achieve life goals; activities that are meaningful, varied and spark curiosity; awareness, empathy and connectedness with others; and healthy relationships.

Cost

Primary school workshops: $390 per workshop (capped at 30 students). Secondary school workshops: $990 per workshop (capped at 50 students for Years 7 and 8; 70 students for Years 9 to 12). Online workshops are capped at 25 students. Workshops are designed to be delivered to the whole year level, and multiple workshops may need to be delivered. Email workshops@reach.org.au about pricing options and packages.

Program structure

Reach's primary and secondary school workshops provide students with positive and relevant strategies and skills they can apply at school and to their everyday lives. All school workshops run for 90 minutes, both online and face-to-face. Facilitators arrive at the school 30 minutes before the face-to-face workshop to discuss expectations and any additional needs. For online workshops, this discussion will happen in the online meeting room with a key contact from the school 15 minutes before the workshop start time. Trained Reach facilitators will set expectations for confidentiality, manage all group behaviours and encourage authentic group dynamics. School staff must be present in the workshop and be available for handover and debriefing from the facilitator after the session.

Instructor

External facilitator

Instructor training

Reach facilitators (the 'crew') have typically spent 4 years (approximately 100 hours per year) going through the Reach facilitator development program. Areas of training for facilitators include group work, adolescent development and how to respond to the complex needs of the young people. Facilitators are also trained in identifying and responding to risk of harm, child safety and trauma-informed approaches.

Supporting resources or materials available with program

Manual

Ongoing support

Reach facilitators are supported by the Reach Wellbeing Team, including individual and team supervision. They are also supported by Program Trainers and mentors, and engage in pre-briefing and debriefing for all workshops.

Parent involvement

Follow-up information provided after program
Written information provided to parents

Origin of program

Australia

Reach

Program authors

The Reach Foundation

: 152-156 Wellington St,Collingwood VIC 3066 Australia

: +610394120900

: workshops@reach.org.au

: Visit website

Ratings

3/4 Evidence

3/4 Implementation

Summary of evidence factors

This is a summary of the evaluation or research study characteristics that contribute to the program’s evidence rating.

Positive impact on at least one outcome for children and/or young people?	Yes
Link between program description and theory of change	Some links
Study design	Quasi-experimental
Independence	Completely

Summary of implementation factors

This is a summary of the program’s characteristics that contribute to its implementation rating.

Feedback sought from participants	Yes
Feedback sought from instructors	Yes
Groups program is not suitable for	Not assessed
Training provided during study	Face to face, all instructors, in person
Ongoing instructor support provided during study	Yes

Context

This is a summary of the context in which the evidence for the program was established.

Study Participants	Secondary school
Country of Study/s	Australia
Location of Study/s in Australia	VIC NSW
Evaluation of program in culturally and linguistically diverse populations	No
Evaluation of program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people	No
Evaluation of program in low socioeconomic groups	Yes
Developmental based adaptations to program design and delivery	No
Evaluation of program in children and young people with disability and/or learning difference	No

Last updated: 29 September 2022