21 November 2024
Earlier this week, we were fortunate to welcome Daniel Principe, a youth advocate dedicated to promoting positive masculinity, for a morning of insightful sessions with both our parent community and Year 9 students.
Daniel first held a session with parents, where he shared valuable perspectives on how we can work together to support our sons in navigating the challenges they face today. He focused on the importance of emotional intelligence and developing soft skills to help young people thrive in a complex world. Parents were encouraged to consider their role in encouraging critical thinking and resilience in their children, particularly when it comes to addressing societal pressures from social media and mainstream culture.
Following this, Daniel led a thought-provoking workshop with our Year 9 students, where he expanded on the same themes but from a perspective that resonated with the boys themselves. His empowering message, “Champion Boys. Challenge Culture,” encouraged them to critically assess the messages they encounter daily, particularly in social media and advertising. He urged them to be “Upstanders” and take action when faced with harmful behaviours or stereotypes, reinforcing that they are the solution to the negative influences they see in the world around them.
One of the key aspects of Daniel’s session was addressing the influence of the $97 billion pornography industry and its impact on relationships and emotional development. Through candid discussion, Daniel challenged the outdated idea of “boys will be boys” and inspired our students to set high expectations for themselves as strong, empathetic young men. He also posed two empowering questions:
What will you champion?
What will you challenge?
The session concluded with group discussions on topics like “What are the stereotypes?” and “What makes a good man?” It was inspiring to see our students engage deeply with these questions, and we were proud to witness them recognising how our School’s values can help shape their understanding of what it means to be both strong and lovely.
Parental resources from Daniel’s presentation will be made available to all parents in the coming weeks.
We are grateful to Daniel for his thought-provoking workshops and look forward to continuing this conversation with our community.
Ana Christensen
Acting Deputy Head of Senior School – Students (Year 9 and 10)
