DAY 2: HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
Length of Session: 20 – 40 minutes
Introductions
Take a few minutes to remind the class who you are, where you are from and why you are in the classroom.
- Acknowledge the traditional territory you are on.
- Thank the teacher for the invitation to the classroom.
- Let the children know what to expect. Is this the final presentation or are you returning again?
- Remind the students to take care of themselves. Students can have the option to step outside of classroom for a few minutes or going to the bathroom or visiting the school counsellor. Remind the class that you will be available after every session if anyone needs support or has questions. This includes wanting support because you know someone else is having this experience.
Dialogue to Review the previous presentation and to introduce today’s presentation.
“Hello again everyone, I was thinking about the last time I was here, and I am wondering if there are a few things that you remember about it? (welcome input from the class to review the last session). Today, we are going to spend some time talking about what the ingredients are for a healthy friendship and how does that make you feel? We will also explore and share about some of the things we might not like in our friendships? And, related to our conversation last time, are there any behaviours that make a friendship not feel safe for you?”
“Today we are going to talk to you about RELATIONSHIPS.”
R-E-L-A-T-I-O-N-S-H-I-P-S….. Write it on the board. “This is a BIG word. Does anyone have any idea what it means?”
Discuss suggestions and definitions from the class and do a group brainstorm. What do relationships bring to our lives?
After writing suggestions on the board, define relationships to the class. A sample definition is below.
Relationships: Connections to other people, could be your family, friends, etc.
“Relationships impact our daily lives. They can bring us support, joy and sometimes sadness. Today we want to explore ways in which you can develop and maintain positive relationships.”
With students in grades 4-6, clarify that healthy relationships may includes both friendships and romantic relationships. Children this age will be beginning to be curious about both types of relationships. VIP presentations can emphasize that when we talk about healthy relationships, we are talking about ALL types
of relationships.
It may be helpful here to remind the class that when we share stories, to not use anyone’s name. “We are all here to learn together, and we don’t want to share things that could hurt someone. Thank you for your
understanding.”
Pre-Video Activity
Remind the class that during the last presentation you spoke about different types of violence and ways to stay safe in an unhealthy relationships, at home and online. “In addition to knowing how to stay safe, it is our goal to give you some tools to build and grow in healthy relationships and friendships. In the VIP Program, we believe that if young people know how to recognize healthy relationships, that can help us to
avoid unhealthy relationships.”
Before watching the video, you may ask each person to share one thing that they think is an important part of being a good friend. You can write these things on the board.
You may ask the class about some of the things they do not want in a friendship, such as some things that make friendships feel unhealthy.
Often young people indicate that they do not want arguments in a relationship. This can be a timely moment to highlight that healthy relationships include the ability to have disagreements in a way that includes safe communication and listening and the ability to move through disagreements in a healthy way is an important part of being in a healthy relationship.
Activity – Watch & Discuss a Video
Video Options
VIP presenters may choose to use one or both videos with each classroom. Rather than rushing to show both videos, it is more important that each video is followed by a conversation to connect the themes of the video with the overall messages of the presentation.
These videos explore some qualities and truths that young people around this age might experience in friendships and in their first intimate relationships. After watching each video, it is helpful to take some time to refer back to the list you made in the previous exercise and see if the children have anything to add or anything from the video did not make sense to them.
Closing
Thank them for being a wonderful class. Please let the students know what information you will be sending home with them, such as VIP post cards, VIP wallet cards, agency brochure, PEACE Program brochure, and any other additional resources. This may vary for each VIP site.