Power, Resilience, and Abuse (Awareness / Prevention of Grooming)
by Sonia Orchard
Description
These sessions are available as a 1-hour or 2-hour session
Optional: 1-hour online or in-person Parent Session see sessions details for more info(highly encouraged!)
One-Hour Student Session:
This interactive session begins with Sonia engaging students by discussing their ‘celebrity crushes’ and what they would do to spend time with them. This leads to a thought-provoking question: What would you do if your celebrity crush asked you to do something you weren’t comfortable with?
Sonia shares her personal experience from her memoir Groomed, recounting her own encounter with an older musician at 15, which she later realised was an abusive relationship, and how this impacted her future relationships and mental health. Her candid storytelling and non-judgmental approach create a safe space for students to explore power dynamics in relationships.
Focusing primarily on age-related power imbalances, the session also touches on other power imbalances (e.g., popularity) and their potential to be exploited for abuse.
Students will discuss:
Students will also reflect on who the trusted adults are in their lives and how to develop these important
relationships safely.
_____________________________________________________
Two-Hour Student Session:
The two-hour session delves deeper into the 7 types of power—where they come from, how they’re used, and how to recognise them. Students will learn to identify both positive and destructive forms of power in themselves and others, using examples from famous figures like Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, Andrew Tate, and others.
The session covers:
Types of Power: Understanding the difference between destructive and constructive types of power.
Power in Vulnerability: Learning how vulnerability can be a source of strength.Personal Power: How to nurture and develop your own power in healthy ways.
Student Group Size:
Ideally, sessions are best conducted with single class sizes to ensure students feel safe to engage and
share personal experiences. Smaller groups encourage more interaction, allowing students to feel more
comfortable asking questions and discussing sensitive topics. However, if a school cannot accommodate
a single class size, larger groups may still work—especially if the cohort is cohesive, friendly, and possibly
single-sex. In such cases, students may still feel comfortable interacting and engaging with the session
content. Please reach out with any questions around this.
Session Details:
Optional: 1-hour online or in-person Parent Session see sessions details for more info(highly encouraged!)
One-Hour Student Session:
This interactive session begins with Sonia engaging students by discussing their ‘celebrity crushes’ and what they would do to spend time with them. This leads to a thought-provoking question: What would you do if your celebrity crush asked you to do something you weren’t comfortable with?
Sonia shares her personal experience from her memoir Groomed, recounting her own encounter with an older musician at 15, which she later realised was an abusive relationship, and how this impacted her future relationships and mental health. Her candid storytelling and non-judgmental approach create a safe space for students to explore power dynamics in relationships.
Focusing primarily on age-related power imbalances, the session also touches on other power imbalances (e.g., popularity) and their potential to be exploited for abuse.
Students will discuss:
- Power and Abuse: How power imbalances in relationships can lead to grooming and abuse.
- Recognising Grooming: Understanding grooming, why it can go unnoticed, and how it causes
long-term damage. - Identifying Power: Recognising different types of power and their impact on behavior, and how
to nurture personal power.
Students will also reflect on who the trusted adults are in their lives and how to develop these important
relationships safely.
_____________________________________________________
Two-Hour Student Session:
The two-hour session delves deeper into the 7 types of power—where they come from, how they’re used, and how to recognise them. Students will learn to identify both positive and destructive forms of power in themselves and others, using examples from famous figures like Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, Andrew Tate, and others.
The session covers:
Types of Power: Understanding the difference between destructive and constructive types of power.
Power in Vulnerability: Learning how vulnerability can be a source of strength.Personal Power: How to nurture and develop your own power in healthy ways.
Student Group Size:
Ideally, sessions are best conducted with single class sizes to ensure students feel safe to engage and
share personal experiences. Smaller groups encourage more interaction, allowing students to feel more
comfortable asking questions and discussing sensitive topics. However, if a school cannot accommodate
a single class size, larger groups may still work—especially if the cohort is cohesive, friendly, and possibly
single-sex. In such cases, students may still feel comfortable interacting and engaging with the session
content. Please reach out with any questions around this.
Session Details:
- Duration: 60- 120 minutes
- Format: In-person for students / in-person or online for parents. See below for more info.
- Year levels: Recommended from Year 9 onward
Details
Audience
Secondary: Year 9 onwards
Duration
Available as a 1-hour or 2-hour session Optional: 1-hour online or in-person Parent Session (highly encouraged!)