Supermarket chain Coles has partnered with The Resilience Project to provide a positive mental health program to help students build resilience and cope with stress.
The education partnership was officially launched on 11 April 2022 and will be delivered to 20 schools across Australia.
The program was launched at Shepparton East Primary School (Victoria) by Collingwood Football Club’s AFLW young gun Jordyn Allen who shared her football journey and mental health strategies with excited students, teachers, parents and carers.
The Resilience Project founder and presenter Hugh van Cuylenburg said the partnership with Coles will enable the program to be delivered in more schools across Australia.
“This year, The Resilience Project is proud to be delivering our wellbeing program to more than 600 schools and 300 early years services across Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“This partnership with Coles will enable us to reach even more school communities, particularly those in regional areas and in locations which have been devastated by floods, fire and now the ongoing stressors of Covid-19.
“The research is clear – the more positive emotion we experience, the more resilient we will be. This is why we focus on cultivating positive emotion through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness.”
Coles Chief Legal and Safety Officer David Brewster said Coles is proud to provide students with an opportunity to learn Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM).
“Coles is delighted to broaden our partnership with The Resilience Project to provide around 3000 students with the opportunity to learn about GEM and to build their resilience,” he said.
“We’re particularly proud to reach Indigenous students and schools that would otherwise not have the opportunity to participate in this important whole-of-school wellbeing program.
“At Coles, we know first-hand the positive impact of The Resilience Project.
“More than 120,000 team members across Coles Group including our stores and distribution centres have been introduced to GEM and we’ve provided wellbeing journals to help our team members and their families get through the challenges of Covid-19 and beyond.
“We hope the students taking part in The Resilience Project will enjoy and benefit from the program as much as our team members have.”
The Resilience Project, which is popular among AFL and NRL clubs, elite athletes and workplaces, focuses on GEM as tools to help people experience positive emotions, and in turn, positive mental health.
In the school programs, GEM is embedded in the community through engaging presentations to students, parents and carers, lesson plans, teacher resources and digital content.
