how it all began…

Over my time working in schools I noticed that it was really common for girls to struggle in their friendships with each other – misunderstandings, miscommunication, conflict and exclusion were issues that I was dealing with on a weekly basis.

I recognised that many girls lacked the confidence, the skills and strategies to cope with the ups and downs of their social life at school. I started looking around for a program or curriculum that I could use in a group setting with girls to help them with their concerns, but didn’t find anything that I felt really hit on the issues I saw regularly occurring.

I had some ideas about what a program could look like, and so in my spare time I started working on a concept. With my background in communication, and my love for creativity, I began developing a curriculum and trialled it in some schools, receiving great feedback from staff and students – realising that what I had developed could also meet a need in schools around the country.

I also knew that for many school staff, preparing to deliver a program and putting all the materials together could be very time consuming – so I developed the “Program In A Box” – where all the materials required for program delivery were in one place, making it easy for facilitators to get started. Our beautifully designed and produced resources have become a trademark of our programs.

In 2016 I sold my first In Real Life program package to Jandakot Primary School in Perth, WA. By the end of that year 23 schools had picked up the program, as well as a school in NSW. In 2017 I began travelling into WA’s regional areas to deliver program training, and in 2018 I ran my first workshop in Melbourne.

After developing In Real Life for year 4-6 girls, I expanded the program for girls in years 7-8, and then went on to develop In Real Life: Equip, which is our program for boys in the same age groups. At the end of 2019 I released In Real Life: Strong & Connected – a program that just poured out of my heart and onto the page – designed to encourage kids to connect with each other, their communities, and to seek help when they need it.

It doesn’t end here. Having seen the powerful way In Real Life has impacted students motivates me to keep going, keep creating, and to keep thinking about how I can be part of the change – to help this generation grow healthy friendships, to connect meaningfully and find belonging.

Janina