Project REAL Story
In 2024, we facilitated a 5-week Team Wellbeing Program for the Project REAL team at Banksia Gardens in Broadmeadows. We now have an ongoing relationship withe the team, delivering monthly workshops.
“The program exceeded my expectations. I liked how the sessions were scaffolded, introducing new practices over time and engaging in the ones previously learnt. Everything practiced was relevant and useful for our space and for professionals within this space.”
- Project REAL team member
Our Partner
Project REAL is a re-engagement program for 9-12 year-olds who have disengaged from mainstream education. It aims to support children, their families and schools to develop skills that foster a positive return to learning.
For the duration of students’ enrolment at Project REAL, the team provides intensive family or caregiver support, including referrals and collaboration with community agencies and allied health professionals, coaching to referring schools, and professional development on key areas of our practice.
The Project REAL approach represents a local adaptation of theoretical and practice-based components from a range of fields, including:
Trauma-informed practices (and Trauma-Informed Positive Education)
The Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework
Social and Emotional Learning – CASEL Framework
Restorative Practices
Intensive Family Work
The Program
-
Over 5 weeks, we delivered a tailored Team Wellbeing Program in-person and onsite at Banksia Gardens. Each weekly session went for one hour.
Our facilitator, Alexia, focused the Program on somatic skills for stress relief, psycho-education regarding nervous system regulation and burnout prevention, and group reflective practice.
-
The Project REAL team at Banksia Gardens. The program was tailored to meet the needs of the team, who work in a high-stress and complex environment, with significant risks of vicarious trauma and burnout.
-
Collective Being Facilitator, Alexia, is a trauma-informed social worker and somatics practitioner. To deliver this program, Alexia harnessed their skills and experience in child and youth settings to co-design a program with the Project REAL team.
The program was supplemented by take-home resources and access to video recordings, to enable participants to continue their learnings beyond the scope of the program.
The Outcomes
Eight team members from Project REAL attended this program.
Facilitator Alexia shared: "It was such a joy facilitating this program. The ProjectREAL team support their students with passion, care and skill, so it was a privilege to provide them with some support, especially having worked in similar settings in the past and having an understanding of how full and fast the work day can be. In planning this program we considered practices that would be easily applicable throughout a busy work day and could also be practiced with students in the classroom. We wanted to balance meaningful psycho-education with somatic stress-relief and rest practices. The team were interested and engaged with the content very quickly, reflecting they had integrated the knowledge and practices in their work and personal lives after the first couple of sessions."
What Participants Say
Interested in this Program?
Complete our enquiry form to explore bringing Team Wellbeing to your organisation.