The Stand-Up Project
Scots College recently welcomed Dr Zach Greig from Australia to work with our Senior School students.
Dr Greig is the founder of The Stand-Up Project, a student leadership and empowerment programme that reduces poor behaviours through student-designed and delivered Upstander training. The programme emphasises student voice, agency, and leadership.
Dr Greig’s vision for SUP is based on the belief that students are crucial in identifying the issues that affect them and in developing their own solutions. Through SUP, students participate in information and collaboration sessions where they develop class plans that they present to their teachers, families, and peers.
As students deliver their content, they gather evidence on the engagement and impact of their programme, providing proof of its efficacy and creating a legacy that other students aspire to.
Schools that have implemented the programme report substantial improvements in behaviour and school culture. Students gain confidence and develop leadership skills, learning to take proactive steps to ensure an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Dr Greig’s commitment to student empowerment is a movement toward a brighter, more inclusive future. You can read more about the programme at www.thestandupproject.com.
Kia ora, our names are Sum Sum and Hannah, and we are two of the Stand-Up Project ambassadors for 2024! Alongside our team of sixteen wonderful Year 11 and Year 12 students, we are honoured to be leading the pioneering SUP programme in New Zealand.
Our team hopes to make meaningful change to the school’s culture by providing students with the skills to be upstanders. We hope to leave a lasting legacy that will impact the future of Scots College.
SUP will be led by sixteen Year 11 and 12 students with under the guidance of Michelle McCorkindale, Amy Joe, and Richard Found.
We believe that the SUP programme is important as it teaches students how to recognise certain behaviours around them and how to deal with them. The programme will be an essential tool in making Scots College students, especially Year 7 and 8s, feel comfortable and confident in the school environment.
Our 2024 SUP leaders are: Gina Laverty, Sum Sum Tsui (Aitken), Madsion Honiss, Sophie Roberts (Fergusson), Flynn Gartrell, Willow Gouge (Glasgow), Edward Thompson, Lucy Lambie (MacKenzie), Jason You, Ógie Flood (Mawson), Hannah Black, Hugo Plimmer (Plimmer), Isabella Thwaites, Luke Wiltshire (Smith), Charlie Gibson Scarlett, Libby McDowell (Uttley).
We were lucky enough to have the founder of the programme, Dr Zach Greig, fly over from Australia to teach us the content face to face. During this training day, we learnt new definitions, behaviours, and strategies to support and guide younger students to become upstanders. We are extremely grateful to Zach for putting his time and effort into our school and providing us with the content necessary to apply the SUP programme into the Scots community.
The two trained SUP representatives from each House will be making frequent visits to Year 7 and 8 tutor sessions. These sessions will be fun and engaging, focussing on different ways to respond to conflict and putting the theory into practice. All SUP leaders will act as a peer support for Year 7 and 8 students, approachable during morning tea and lunchtimes. SUP leaders may also be a support person for Year 7 and 8 students while they navigate the College’s current pastoral care system (conversations with House Dean, Amy Joe, or Jackie Calder). It is crucial to note that SUP leaders are not “secret holders” and will share information to necessary staff, ensuring the safety of students and SUP leaders.
Although the SUP programme is predominantly student led, the Scots College staff, caregivers, and wider community play a significant role in the success of the SUP Programme. Caregivers and staff should lead by example, opening the conversation around SUP, and also put the theory into practice in their own lives.
We look forward to seeing the SUP programme flourish at Scots College, empowering students to be upstanders.
Sum Sum and Hannah - Student SUP Leaders
