No Regrets

No Regrets is a schools-based violence prevention demonstration program which aims to involve Year 9 and 10 students from metropolitan and regional areas of Victoria.

The program is a response to growing concerns regarding violent behaviour among young people and was developed as part of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s (DEECD) Respectful Relationships Education in Schools strategy, in partnership with FYA and Step Back Think.

Step Back Think was formed by a group of 11 young people in the wake of the horrific brain injuries sustained by their friend James Macready-Bryan, who was assaulted in Melbourne’s CBD while celebrating his 20th birthday.

Through educating young people about the potentially tragic consequences of violence, the No Regrets program aims to reduce the incidence of violence and assault in Melbourne and throughout Victoria.

The program is delivered in two flexible phases, as part of a whole of school approach.

In Phase 1 students participate in a 90-minute workshop  addressing violence prevention, facilitated by staff from FYA and trained volunteers from Step Back Think. .

Following this workshop, up to 6 students from each participating school are selected to join students from other schools, to participate in a day and a half program to devlop  social action projects that they will roll out in their schoosl promoting the key messages of the program (see below).

In this phase students work closely with and are supported by community service organisations, and teachers

Key Messages of the program
We believe that:

• Respectful relationships prevent violence.
• Violence can be avoided through planned decision-making.
• Alcohol and drugs impact decision-making.

Objectives:
The core purpose of this violence prevention program is to:

• Develop skills, attitudes and behaviours that form the basis for respectful relationships.
• Develop skills, attitudes and behaviours to respond safely to potentially violent situations.
• Develop strategies and actions to promote violence prevention in the community.

Key Outcomes
Students will:

• Reflect on personal beliefs and values in relation to violence.
• Understand the importance of respect within all relationships.
• Increase communication skills (including non-verbal communication).
• Recognize the consequences of violent behavior.
• Manage their peer group to ensure a safe night out, including the detection of the early signs of violence emerging in a social situation.
• Understand the influence that drugs and alcohol can have on a potentially violent situation.

Improve their ability to influence pro-social peer group attitudes and behaviours.