Three members of Royal Far West’s Community Recovery Services team visited Gympie South State School in Gympie, QLD between 17th and 20th July 2023 to deliver the following supports for children:
- 2 children’s groups were delivered to Year 3 students at the school. The group program, ‘Stormbirds’, supported students who were impacted by the flooding event in 2022, and equipped them with strategies to cope with grief, change and loss.
- 3 classes of Year 1 students attended whole class sessions delivered by the RFW multidisciplinary team using the Birdie’s Tree suite of resources. The sessions focussed on developing students’ understanding and use of emotional vocabulary, developing their sense of safety and their sense of self-efficacy in regards to natural disasters.
- Educators at Gympie South State School attending a Professional Learning session with RFW staff to explore strategies to support connection, regulation and the learning environment within the school.
- RFW staff completed a Facebook Live to engage with parents in the Gympie South State School community. RFW staff shared strategies and resources to expand children’s emotional vocabularies.
Team photo: Team members pictured in the photo (left to right): Emma Carwardine (Speech Pathologist), Liz Denley (Occupational Therapist) & Swetlana Jankowiak (Deputy Head of Community Recovery).
Learn more about Royal Far West Community Recovery Services Team
The Royal Far West Community Recovery Program provides crucial support to children, and key adults around those children, who have faced changes, grief, or loss, and help them navigate the challenges that follow natural disasters.