The School Assembly that Got Teen Boys Talking

Any parent of a teenage boy knows conversations often follow a familiar pattern. A series of questions asked by the parent - and a series of monosyllabic answers from their son. Yep. Nup. Good. Grunt. Stuff. Dunno.  That was a typical experience for James, an educator and father of three from the mid-north coast of NSW - until the day he answered a very different phone call from his 14-year-old son, a Year 8 student.

‘Dad, you’ll never guess what happened.’

James' heart skipped a beat. 

He needn’t have worried. His son’s call turned out to be a big relief to James - and a testament to the impact of our work building mental fitness and breaking down barriers through the power of conversation. 

‘We had Gotcha4Life at assembly and it was the best assembly we have ever had.’

James’ son knew about Gotcha4Life’s founder Gus Worland. His father had talked about him at home. He’d seen pictures of his dad with Gus and cricket legend Steve Smith when they came to talk to students at two other schools his dad had worked at.

So, when the Gotcha4Life team were introduced as guest speakers at the all-school assembly for 1,000 students, James’ son pricked up his ears.

So did James, when he heard the impact Gotcha4Life’s words had on his son and other students.

“He spoke so animatedly about it. I was talking to an inspired and excited young man. He said the message was so powerful, you could hear a pin drop,” James said.

“We carried on a long conversation about checking in with friends and the importance of being able to say, ‘Hi mate, how are you? and listening to their response’.

“That is one of the most powerful moments I have ever had with my young man.

“The boys who were in those presentations still talk about it. It’s the power of role modeling. They absolutely remember what the presenters said. It stays with them and that’s what we need. Building strength and muscle in our minds should be an integral part of our day-to-day”

“It was really pleasing to see the school openly discuss this issue at an assembly. And it was great to hear that the conversations carried on among the boys afterwards, because sometimes they stop when you leave the room.”

The father-son conversation has continued too.

"As a parent, any information you get on what your teen is doing at school can be a wonderful opportunity to have more discussions, but it is easier said than done,” James explained.

“Gotcha4Life created that ‘in’ for me as a parent - a way into a conversation. My son had asked a couple of questions. What do you do if someone’s not feeling great? It provided an opportunity to explore that further and carry on the conversation, and that, to me, is very special.”

As an educator, James had seen the enduring impact of Gotcha4Life on his students, but this was an eye opener for him as a parent.

“I have helped facilitate those opportunities for kids in other schools, but I hadn’t stopped to think what it would be like as a parent. It was incredibly powerful.”

“The boys who were in those presentations still talk about it. It’s the power of role modelling. They absolutely remember what the presenters said. It stays with them and that’s what we need. Building strength and muscle in our minds should be an integral part of our day-to-day.

“I’m extremely grateful that we have people in the world who want to make that impact, but more needs to be done. 

“We need to reach out to the people making a difference and say thank you - and help them continue the good work they’re doing in any way we can.”

There’s a lesson in that for all of us.