Activity: Coward Punch: Facilitation Guide

Quick summary: This Facilitation Guide will support community leaders, teachers and school leaders in delivering a whole-community approach to violence prevention. It encompasses notes on how to best deliver the STOP the Coward Punch education package in your organisation, club or school, along with guides for getting other members of the community and parents/caregivers involved. This guide is complemented by the Take It Home Resource Pack, which can be provided directly to parents/caregivers.

This guide is designed to accompany the STOP the Coward Punch learning units, as follows:

• Health and Physical Education Years 7 & 8
• Health and Physical Education Years 9 & 10
• English – Years 7 to 10
• Civics and Citizenship – Years 7 to 10
• Science – Years 7 to 10
• The Arts – Years 7 to 10

​​The STOP the Coward Punch education package was developed in consultation with a youth worker, education specialist and teachers and references the latest research and laws on coward punches.

Learning intentions:

• Community leaders, teachers and school leaders will understand the importance of addressing issues surrounding coward punches and violence prevention
• Community leaders, teachers and school leaders will understand the importance of involving the whole community in understanding risk and protective factors for violence amongst young people
• Community leaders, teachers and school leaders will know how they can work with their wider community whilst delivering the STOP the Coward Punch education package
• Community leaders, teachers and school leaders will be able to support parents/caregivers and other interested community members in better understanding how to work with young people to manage challenging feelings, substance use and violent behaviours
• Community leaders, teachers and school leaders will develop confidence in relevant approaches and strategies for working with at-risk young people.

Topic: Social Issues

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work STOP the Coward Punch: Supporting Resources.

Level of facilitator scaffolding: Medium – deliver presentations to staff and the community and respond to questions. We recommend you seek support from your school IT department, librarians and/or translators. It may also be appropriate to invite local experts to support facilitation, such as a legal advisor, youth/social worker, or the police.

Resources required:

• Community Information Session Slides
• Email Invitation Template
• Handling Sensitive Topics and Issues Factsheet.

Related Professional Development: Strategies for Dealing with Aggressive and Violent Behaviours

Keywords: school, facilitation, community, clubs, community engagement, whole-school approach, whole-community approach, parents, caregivers, anti-violence, violence, prevention, coward punch, king hit, one punch

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.