Lindfield Prep Building respect for all Newington Lindfield is a White Ribbon school. White Ribbon schools are communities of people who believe in treating all people equally and focus on “respect for all”. White Ribbon works to combat violence against women. As a boys’ school, we are very conscious to counter societal stereotypes about females. Our boys are fortunate in that they are educated in a school whose ethos values inclusivity and respect for diversity. Under our ethos, traditional gender stereotypes are unacceptable and actively discouraged. We treat each of our boys as an individual with unlimited potential. We expect our boys to do the same with all members of society. Stereotyping of any group in society limits their possibilities for the future. ‘We treat each of our Lindfield students form a white ribbon to raise awareness for White Ribbon Day boys as an individual stimulate thinking and discussion to stand up against violence towards with unlimited potential. counter stereotypes that limit people’s others on the back of bunting triangles We expect our boys to thinking about the roles boys and girls which then decorated the school, and should play in our communities. the Student Representative Council sold do the same with all We want girls and boys to be able to White Ribbon merchandise on the days members of society’ grow up understanding about healthy, leading up to White Ribbon Day. respectful relationships. Challenging the On the day, we took a whole school The small lessons that we as a negative gender stereotypes that photo of our 200 students in the shape community teach and instil about surround young people is the first step. of the White Ribbon logo to promote its respectful relationships have a big Year 5 students took the lead in Lindfield significance. We also collaborated with impact on the next generation of young becoming a White Ribbon school and UTS and International Grammar School people. The lessons that we teach our created posters related to their Unit of to provide boys with the opportunity to boys and the social media material from Inquiry and the meaning of White work with female students as they built the White Ribbon resources aim to Ribbon. Boys made personal pledges to their understanding of the White Ribbon movement. Part of being a White Ribbon school is the opportunity to present to other White Ribbon schools at the Breaking the Silence Schools Program. We have the opportunity to explain the journey our school has gone through to become a White Ribbon school, the impact it has had on our boys and parents, and our plans for 2018. We want the White Ribbon to flow through every day at school. We don’t want it to be a one-day event and a “sometime” focus, but rather a genuine understanding that guides the boys’ relationships with others. We want to be a school that models “respect for all” in every interaction. Our aim is to raise respectful boys who value their relationships with others. Ms Carol Peterson Hugo Grehan and Oscar Roche preparing for their White Ribbon day pledge Teacher OPPORTUNITY| NEWS AUTUMN 2018| 45