The Jade Speaks Up Trust

Jade Speaks Up spent three years between 2017-2019 focused on a research pilot, working with over 3,000 children and their teachers in 18 schools around New Zealand. It was an exciting co-design process that further refined this strongly relevant resource, as we heard feedback from children, teachers, principals and community agencies.

The results showed that the programme effectively gave children aged between 8-12 increased strategies for responding to dangerous or frightening situations. The programme also has a positive impact on student wellbeing, reducing bullying, increasing empathy and care in the classrooms. Additionally teachers observed a noticeable improvement in children’s use of emotional language and reaching out for help. Children and teachers report increased confidence and less conflict as the numbers of disruptive incidents diminished in the classrooms. Teachers even reported an improvement in children’s literacy! You can read some of our summary reports under the resources page of our site.

We hear from teachers that there is a steep increase in anxiety among students since the arrival of covid in our communities. As a result, we developed a second programme, You Good? You Good! to support children in responding effectively to the new ambiguities and worries families are experiencing.

With a small team, we currently have limited capacity to respond to increasing requests for the programme from a wide variety of schools, so we are in the process of trainingmore trainers to support schools in implementing the programmes. And this is where you can help. Any money that is donated to our Trust will go directly into resources, training and supervision support for more teachers to bring this wellbeing and safety programme into their schools. We are approaching a variety of funders in both government and philanthropic circles to find support in this critical time of pandemics and hardship.

This is an opportunity for you to become part of the solution for keeping our children supported in this increasingly stressful era, emphasised in these Covid times. We would be very grateful for your kindness in helping keep our tamariki safe and well.

Ngā mihi nui