Recently, our Year 8 and 10 students attended seminars led by Your Choicez – a dedicated team of educators that specialise in teaching young people about relationships, dating and consent in an open and safe environment. We interviewed Bella Isenegger (Year 10) to hear what she thought about the seminar.
What did you think of the seminar?
To me, the Your Choicez seminar was purposeful and influential – learning about relationships, consent and the importance of having a positive social life. A key takeaway from the seminar was that when you’re younger, you aren’t actively forming deep relationships with people because you feel entitled to it. As in, you just expect to receive love because it’s always freely given by friends and family. However, in the later years, you need to realise that relationships go both ways – you can’t just expect someone to love you back – you have to work together to form a deep love for each other. And that makes you reflect on the relationship you have with everyone.
Do you think Year 10 is a good time to be learning about these things?
Definitely. I think it’s significant to understand these topics early on, especially since it’s something that will affect us for the rest of our lives. This seminar gave us a keynote: that we’ve matured individually and collectively. It’s a sign that the School trusts us and wants us to learn about these serious topics, which in a way, encourages us to think, speak and act like mature young adults.
You also attended the Your Choicez seminar when you were in Year 8 – would you say there’s any long-term learning benefits?
Yeah for sure! In the Year 8 seminar, we learnt about similar content but in a much simpler and growing manner, whereas in year 10, it was a more mature, down to earth conversation with content that is essential to know as a growing adult. All in all, it made me reflect. I thought about how I can approach, act and repair in each individual relationship. Throughout this process, you’re surrounded by your friends, teachers and peers, and learn about these topics in a safe and supportive environment and I’m extremely grateful for that.
We’d like to extend our deep gratitude to the Your Choicez team for coming to our school and running these sessions for our students. For more information about them, click here to visit their website.
