When Catholic Regional College Sydenham first connected with Living Ripples through Brimbank City Council, the school had already been using the Resilient Youth Survey. What Living Ripples offered was something different: not just data, but a clear and supported process to turn that data into action. 

When St Theresa’s Primary School was introduced to the Living Ripples program through Family School Partnerships representative, Greg Woolford, the leadership team was seeking new ways to strengthen student voice and leadership across the school. In 2024, the school set out to provide meaningful opportunities for students to take on leadership roles that went beyond special events, helping them make a positive impact throughout the school year. 

For several years, Great Ryrie Primary School has been an active participant in the Living Ripples process, recognising early on the unique value of the insights it provides. Each year, the school uses the data to shape its Wellbeing Action Plan, ensuring decisions are informed by the lived experiences of students.

Eight years ago, St Albans Heights began to expand its wellbeing journey under the leadership of Principal Effie Sultana and Assistant Principal Glenn Groves and the dedicated Wellbeing Team. At the time, wellbeing efforts included proactive activities such as art therapy and individual counselling for students referred by teachers.

At the beginning of last year, Heathmont East Primary School joined the Living Ripples network, already familiar with the program through their own research. Endorsed by the school leadership, they began the process of listening to student voices and turning the findings into action.

Corrimal East Public School is in the northern suburbs of Wollongong, between the mountains and the sea. With 300 students, its motto is ‘A small school making a big difference’. And the school is making a big difference to its students and their families and community by prioritising wellbeing.

Scarborough Public School is a small school of 56 students on the south coast of NSW where Living Ripples has become ‘very much the everyday’. With the importance of wellbeing for firmly embedded in the School’s Strategic Improvement Plan, the Living Ripples process has specific success criteria and two years on, the impact is growing.

Russell Vale Public School is a small, family-oriented school in the northern suburbs of Wollongong. Established in 1954, it is proud to serve its community. Russell Vale Public has quite recently adopted the Living Ripples process to build on an already committed, aware and caring school.

Brimbank City Council area starts 11 km west of Melbourne’s central business district with business, industry, homes and schools side by side. With suburbs including Deer Park, Sunshine, St Albans, Keilor and Sydenham, the Brimbank community is busy, complex, and diverse.

Berry Public School, on the south coast of NSW in the Shoalhaven region, was the first school in Australia to participate in the Living Ripples process. The appeal for Berry Public School was that the process engages the whole school community, gathers and uses real time data and is aligned to the school’s enduring commitment to the value and importance of student wellbeing.

Bomaderry Public is a Kindergarten to Year 6 school in the town of Bomaderry on the Shoalhaven River, four kilometres north of Nowra. Its shift of focus from behaviour management to fostering wellbeing among students, staff and families has been the game changer. Attendance is improving, engagement from families is on the rise and enrolments are increasing.