A GEM OF A PROGRAM HELPING THE LISMORE COMMUNITY TO REBUILD

The Resilience Project founder and presenter Hugh van Cuylenburg made a special appearance in Lismore today to motivate, inspire and share his expertise on Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness (GEM) with students and Coles team members.

Hugh, a bestselling author and co-host of the popular The Imperfects podcast, was joined by Coles ambassador and Olympic champion Sally Pearson at Lismore South Public School as part of a partnership between Coles and The Resilience Project (TRP), which has enabled 4,800 Australian students and over 120,000 Coles team members to participate the positive mental health program since 2020.

Three schools in Lismore - Lismore South Public School, The Living School and Lismore High School – have been able to participate in TRP’s school wellbeing program this year through funding from Coles, and nearly 250 students and teachers from Lismore South PS and The Living School were in attendance at Hugh van Cuylenburg’s presentation today.

A recent study from University of Adelaide of 160,000 students during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2021) found that students who have participated in The Resilience Project’s school wellbeing program have maintained consistent emotional wellbeing and improved life satisfaction, in contrast to those that did not participate in the program1.

The research also found TRP participants experienced an increase in perceived support over the period from their peers and the wider school community which differed to non-TRP participants, who experienced a steady decline2.

The Resilience Project is centred around teaching the three principles of Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness, and is helping not only students but teachers, parents and guardians as well to cope with the stresses of life both in and out of the classroom.

Hugh van Cuylenburg said the program presented in Lismore has been delivered in 21 other disaster affected regions within the last 3 years and all have strongly resonated in the local communities.

“I’m grateful to be able to come to Lismore to see frsthand the recovery process in the community, particular among children and young people and frontline workers from Coles,” he said.

“The Resilience Project has proven through research that providing the tools and interventions to build resilience can signifcantly lower the risk of mental illness and buffer the negative effects of stressful life events such as natural disasters and the pandemic3.”

“Lismore is an incredibly resilient community, but the long-lasting effects of an event like the 2022 foods cannot be underestimated. I hope The Resilience Project can play a part in helping this community to heal, recover and move forward.”

Lismore South Public School Assistant Principal Gaye Titcume said the program has already had a positive impact in the school community in just six months of delivery.

“So many of our students were directly impacted by the 2022 foods and are still recovering today from the trauma of the event,” she said.

“The Resilience Project has helped our students to navigate through this challenging period by giving them simple yet effective strategies to cope. The GEM principles are universal and The Resilience Project’s school wellbeing program is so engaging and inspiring for our students.”

“We have seen positive changes in not only our students but among the wider school community and Hugh’s visit to our school has created further excitement. His energy, passion and words will remain with our students and teachers for years to come.”

Coles frst partnered with The Resilience Project in 2020 to help team members across the country cope with the stresses and anxieties experienced at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coles Lismore Store Manager Cheryl Muirhead said the program has helped team members to look ahead and to rebuild after three diffcult years.

“Our team was frst introduced to The Resilience Project when COVID frst hit and our team members were dealing with panic buying, safety and hygiene protocols and a lot of uncertainty,” she said.

“The GEM principles helped our team to cope with the added stresses of working on the frontline during COVID and it transferred into helping us to be more resilient when the foods hit in 2022 which affected every single team member in some way, big or small.”

“We’re incredibly grateful to be able to share The Resilience Project’s wonderful program with the schools in Lismore through funding from Coles.”

The Resilience Project has been delivered to more than 1,000 schools and early years services and

500 workplaces as well as sporting clubs and teams (including Australian cricket, netball, soccer, NRL and AFL teams) across Australia and New Zealand.

Coles’ partnership with The Resilience Project has enabled the school wellbeing program to be delivered in 30 Australian primary and secondary schools with vulnerable cohorts over the past two and half years.