R2 Resilience Program
Standard Manual for Education Settings
The R2 Resilience Program©: Standard Manual for Educational Settings uses an evidence-based approach to help educators incorporate resilience-promoting factors in their classrooms and curriculum. The Program helps teachers and school staff create a nurturing environment and school culture that protects against the various risks young people experience, as well as promote student well-being.The R2 Resilience Program© is unique with its focus on two types of protective factors that build resilience: the rugged qualities inside us and the external resources that provide us with the many kinds of support we need to thrive when stressed.The Standard Manual for Education Settings contains a series of modules, one for each of the 12 protective factors (six rugged qualities and six resources) found to be most important for students.
Resilience Factors Covered in this Program:
Each module contains key learning objectives, a summary of the science, and case studies, as well as lesson plans and activities that can be used as a practical guide of how to implement these resilience factors in the classroom.
Rugged Qualities:
- Communication Skills– the capacity to communicate well with those around us and tell them what we need. Good communication skills can help us to express ourselves and articulate problems before they escalate.
- Critical Thinking – the ability to analyse and evaluate an issue to make better judgements. Good critical thinking helps us evaluate the accuracy and truthfulness of information we receive so that we can make our own decisions.
- Empathy – interest in/ care for / understanding and appreciating the needs of others. Empathy is important for building social relationships, healthy family dynamics, and connections with society.
- Motivation and Perseverance – the ability to continue behaving in ways that are of benefit to us during difficult times. Motivation and perseverance mean getting back up after failing and continuing to try in the face of challenges.
- Problem Solving – the ability to consider many different potential solutions to a problem and choose the best one. Problem solving is a necessary component of conflict resolution and constructively coping with adversity.
- Self-Esteem – the feeling that we are showing others our best selves without inhibition. High self-esteem means we see ourselves as capable, worthy, and as a person of value, which benefits our well-being and many other resilience factors.
Resources:
- A Supportive Peer Group – beginning and maintaining relationships with supportive peers. Peers offer companionships and a sense of connection, as well as social support during challenges.
- Appropriate Use of Social Media – beneficial contact with others through social media without feeling the pressure of social comparisons. Using social media to share information and express feelings can help build friendships and increase our psychological well-being.
- Opportunities to Fix Mistakes – having opportunities to correct and learn from one’s mistakes. The process of acknowledging a mistake, reflecting on it, and attempting to fix it helps us to learn new abilities and skills.
- Opportunities to Make Decisions for Oneself (appropriate to one’s age and abilities) – access to opportunities to make decisions that affect our lives. Making important decisions for ourselves gives us a sense of autonomy, control, involvement, and the chance to consider the impact of our actions.
- Reasonable Consequences for One’s Actions – recognizing the impact our actions have for us and others. Consequences help us make sense of the way the world works and teach us socially accepted behaviours and values, as well as personal responsibility.
- Reasonable Expectations for Behaviour – expectations that we behave in ways that are in our own best interest. High yet achievable expectations communicate a belief in our abilities and inspire us to take on challenges; while established norms of behaviour give us a degree of stability and prosociality, even during adversity.
