Feedback & Recommendations
You can read for yourself the feedback Undercurrent has received for our workshops in secondary schools, in higher education and community groups, and our professional development workshops.
Secondary School Program:
From high school students:
This workshop…
“Let me speak about what I can’t speak about with my friends/family”
“Gave us more options to look at before making decisions”
“Made me look at things differently”
“Answered many questions, especially because I wanted to know heaps of the things I learnt today”
“Was open and we weren’t judged for things we shared with the group”
“Felt comfortable talking about things I usually don’t talk about and I was able to say my opinion”
“Teaches me how to support a friend in a good way”
“Was informative because the workshops had a very natural, uncensored approach to issues related to sex”
In the workshop I found useful…
“Hearing everyone’s thoughts and opinions on a certain topic”
“Learning that there are other ways we can help our friends or family or anything in the situation”
“To learn about relationships, friends and consent about sex”
“That I could be open and talk about new things”
“Learning how I can help someone if they have experienced assault”
“Because I could talk to someone that wasn’t going to be offended”
“Understanding that I’m not the only one nervous of sex, especially for the first time”
“If something happens to me like this I know who to talk to”
“We could share our thoughts with each other”
“Because I was able to talk about things and made me more aware of things that can go on in a relationship”
“Was great to see students engaging and learning about these topics from real people outside the school bubble”
From high school educators:
From Tom Mason, Senior Wellbeing Co-ordinator at St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre:
"St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre have asked Undercurrent to run workshops with our young people several times in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The young people at St Joseph’s are largely from disadvantaged backgrounds and have become disengaged with mainstream education. Many have been raised without the adequate care and role modelling from parental figures that is the social norm. Due to this we see many behaviours that are of great concern. The workshops run by Undercurrent targeting issues around appropriate relationships, violence, and sex, have enabled us to open up conversations with the young people around their experiences, their perceptions, and work with them on developing appropriate and safe expectations and behaviours as they enter the world of adulthood. The stand out aspect of Undercurrent for St Joseph’s was that the workshop facilitators are from incredibly diverse backgrounds and life experiences. An issue we often have is finding guest speakers and the like that the young people can genuinely relate to. Undercurrent staff are ideal for engaging with the young people and genuinely being able to say, ‘I understand’. This allows for the young people to have a truly honest and open experience throughout their time with Undercurrent and they’ve often left with students asking when they were coming back. We look forward to working with Undercurrent more in 2019!"
From Vivienne Harris, School Nurse at Laverton College:
“Undercurrent visited Laverton P - 12 College many times during terms 3 and 4, 2013 to conduct the Secondary School Program with the students from years 9 – 12. I can highly recommend Undercurrent to any school. Our students enjoyed the program, asking the presenters to return to the school for more sessions when finding out their own year level sessions had finished.
The feedback from the students was overwhelming positive. In response to asking the students if they would be able to use any of the information in the session in the future, both the majority of the males and females agreed it was and would be useful for them later.
Undercurrent will be asked to return next year and continue to build on the great work they have started with our students this year.”
TAFE/VE, Universities and Community Groups Program:
From students:
“Always insightful to have complex and critical conversations”
“It was great to share perspectives with everyone and discuss practical personal strategies for change”
“Workshop forced me to question and challenge my views/thoughts. Equipped me with vocabulary to bring up and address issues. Clear outline of strategies to help survivors.”
“Very informative, increased critical thinking, great broad knowledge”
“It developed on my learning from our family violence unit, particularly when thinking of practical work with clients”
“Provoked thoughts about complex and relevant issues. Provided action useful for helping others.”
“Increasing clarity around the issue of violence and equipping us with strategies to manage situations”
“Very informative on how to provide support for survivors”
“Questions were asked which made me question my own values/ideas”
“Open non-judgemental discussion and hearing different perspectives”
“The workshop was well tailored to the specific problems/issues our group faces. Excellent/patient/understanding approach/questions.”
From educators:
From Melinda Brown, Community Services Program at Victoria University:
“They really took on a lot of new learning and it opened up their eyes to new information and to be much less judgemental about the world around them. Thank you once again it is such important information to get out to our community. Undercurrent has been running workshops with Victoria University Community Services TAFE students for several years now. The workshops are engaging, interactive and practical and cover very important topics such as violence against women, sexual assault and gender inequality. Students always comment that the learning they receive from these workshops enhances their knowledge and skills for working in the sector."
LGBTIQ+ Program:
“It’s good to talk about things that are often considered ‘taboo’ for example violence.”
“It’s really helpful and interesting listening and understanding others opinions.”
“Got to speak to other LGBT+ people about these issues.”
“I have friends who have been in abusive relationships so now I know more about how I can help.”
“It can be both validating and refreshing to talk about these things without being judged.”
“The opinions of others helped myself to understand my own and other’s views.”
“I feel safer with this group of people”
“Freedom to discuss LGBT issues (some people never listen to or believe me).”
“Being in a safe space and talking about things that feel unsafe in a healing and educational way”
“Discussions about consent, context driven, relationships, negotiating boundaries, how might go about thinking about things “
“Being in a group setting with other survivors discussing things that aren’t addressed enough given their importance”
“Learning and sharing with people from my community is really helpful and educating”
“Shared feeling of learning, support and compassion and the discussions about different values in relationships”
“Challenging some myths and assumptions around LGBTIQ sexuality and consent, talking with other participants”
“Discussing how to support someone who shares their experience of sexual assault with you”
LGBTIQ+ Capacity Building Program:
“It is always useful to chew over, reflect on issues for LGBTIQ community with family violence. Thanx for resources”
“The four pillars and theoretical frameworks – really good at contextualising”
“Discussion about the impact of FV in LGBTIQ+ diverse communities and the similarities of power and control”
“Today was really useful in terms of how to respond to LGBTIQ people as a service”
“It helped to broaden the understanding and the barriers that are faced”
“Group discussions, information on services and resources and language”
“The best part of the day was encouraging us to think about our own ignorance and bias”
“The discussions and the case study to explore barriers and services”
“I was helped to think beyond the usual framework of heterosexual practice”
“Really clear, informative exercises that provided clarity. Everything amazing.”
“Until now I haven’t had the opportunity to discuss this topic deeply”
“It gave me a greater understanding of family violence”
“Incredibly informative, facilitation was sensitive, safe, and open. I found it very empowering.”
“I learnt new concepts around FV and new ways to interact with clients”
“Great progression from conceptual to practical. Really comprehensive and thoughtful approach”
“Made me aware of current services available and what is needed”
Professional Development and Capacity Building Program:
"Absolutely, enlightening, informative"
"Yes, I think this is a great info source for working with young people"
"The information spoken about will help me educate if needed and help during my work"
“Because I thought violence was only physical & verbal but today I know more about violence”
"Support services contact details. Situational discussions were brilliant! Great to sit in a circle as one group, really strong facilitation – well done!"
"I think gaining a broader understanding of things by listening to different opinions"
“Learning from my peers in small group discussions about anti-oppressive facilitation”
“I deliver a lot of training in my work and this field can be challenging with the topics we present. It is always good to learn about new or other techniques.”
“Tips and tricks for facilitators as well as leading by example in how they ran the session”
“I learnt a lot of practical skills I can use for my current and future work”
“Very relevant to our work in family violence sector”
“It challenged my thinking about the work I do and how I do it, particularly in rural areas”
“Great info, great insight + it allowed me to challenge my unconscious bias”
“It was useful to have the space and examples to think outside the square”
Training and Facilitation Program:
“I deliver a lot of training in my work and this field can be challenging with the topics we present - it’s always good to learn about new or other techniques”
“Time for critical analysis and new concepts to apply to facilitation”
“Great to explore how when doing training on political topics it needs to include the politics/power we implement through training”
“It was really awesome to hear everyone’s experiences, particularly their challenges and how they overcame them when facilitating”
“It opened up space to discuss facilitation strategies which doesn’t happen in my role a lot”
“Time to talk about facilitation, power and control and oppression in a training context”
“Was really reflective and allowed for good discussion and learning”
“Good reminder of the importance of reflecting on facilitation practice”
“It helped to think about habits we have fallen into”
“Discussing anti-oppressive facilitation and questioning basic assumptions such as ‘safe space’ ”
“Anti-oppressive facilitation - I feel like training can be redesigned to include all learning needs and better understand the groups lived experience”
“The conversation about applying structural compassion to those who resist or oppose”