Choose Respect
Goal
The aim of the Choose Respect initiative is to encourage and motivate schools, agencies and the wider community to EXPLICITLY develop and maintain a “Culture of Respect.”
History of Choose Respect
Choose Respect was developed by Gary Butcher in his work with young people in schools in Western Australia.
Following success in his own school he was invited to show other schools how they could also implement Choose Respect. Following success in schools Choose Respect spilled over into the broader community.
Recent developments have seen towns implement the Choose Respect initiative. The city of Bunbury is becoming the first Choose Respect city.
Choose Respect in NSW
My name is Dave Scheerhoorn. I am a youth worker with over 22 years experience and I have known Gary for approximately 17 years.
While Gary was developing Choose Respect I was developing Groupwork programs for children and young people, both in and out of schools.
One of the key elements I found in my work is the fact that ‘values’ are essential in producing any long term change for children and young people. “Values” gave young people the tools to be RESILIENT.
When given the choice, “Rules or Values?” Young people always chose “VALUES!!”
They understood that a Rule is something you have to do; a ‘value’ is something you want to do.
One young lady said that a ‘Value” is something precious.
My view is that ‘values’ are the part of our character that gives us ‘moral courage.’
Choose Respect identifies that a value is a ‘self limiting choice.’
I found that the Choose Respect initiative had at its core a very sound set of values for young people to learn, choose and the live by.
How does Choose Respect work?Choose Respect is not a program, and is not just for the clients. In fact Choose Respect works best for the clients when staff make the decision to become a Choose Respect agency and take on the values for themselves..
Young people can’t be forced to Choose Respect they can only be asked!
Choose Respect provides a fundamental shift from focusing on the negative behaviours and the negative forces in life by calling out young people to Choose respect.
Choose Respect provides a code of behaviour which outlines seven Choose Respect values, and a set of fundamental principles that work together to provide a blueprint for developing a “Culture of Respect” in a community.
What to expect from the training?
- Develop a strengths based understanding of Australian adolescents
- Set realistic, attainable and measurable goals in working with young people
- Explore the Choose Respect Model - and how it can be used to foster a culture of respect in our workplaces, in our programs and in our communities
Contact us for more information or visit the website - www.chooserespect.com