Covering a region of more than 88,000 square kilometres, Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese’s Healthy Relationships Team spends much of the year travelling between towns, delivering sessions to students across southern New South Wales. Source: Catholic Voice.
Long drives are a regular part of the team’s work, as they visit Catholic schools to talk with young people about relationships, growing up and navigating adolescence.
For team member Elizabeth Doyle, the time on the road is part of the appeal.
“Road trips with the team are a lot of fun,” she said. “We share our faith, snacks, even debates about pop albums. It’s a good mix of fellowship and light-hearted moments.”
Conversations about puberty, relationships and sex have long been challenging for families and schools. In an era shaped by constant screen use, social media pressure and easy access to online content, educators say those conversations are becoming more complex – and more necessary.
For several years, the Healthy Relationships Team, largely composed of young adults, has delivered age-appropriate programs in Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese. The sessions are designed to support students as they move through different stages of development.
Cathy Madsen, the program’s manager, said the focus was on helping students understand their own dignity while giving them space to ask questions.
“The program highlights the intrinsic value of each person and encourages respectful discussion,” she said. “It’s about creating a safe environment where students feel comfortable engaging.”
In upper primary years, the program focuses on puberty and human development, using videos and anatomical models to explain physical changes and conception. In secondary school, the emphasis shifts to topics more closely tied to teenage life, including respectful relationships, mental health, online safety and peer pressure.
The sessions also address the influence of pornography and the unrealistic portrayals of relationships that young people often encounter online.
For Ms Doyle, the work is varied and often unexpected.
“When I first started, I thought these topics would be awkward,” she said. “But it’s been incredibly rewarding. Every session reminds me how important it is for young people to hear clear, respectful messages about who they are and how they relate to others.”
FULL STORY
Helping young people navigate life’s big conversations (Catholic Voice)
