Media Release: Morrison Government backs school program to tackle intolerance

The Morrison Government is supporting school students to learn tolerance and acceptance through a range of new inclusivity programs to be rolled out across Australian schools. 

Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher announced $6 million of funding for student learning organisation High Resolves to develop initiatives to assist high-school aged students to have a better understanding and experience of the issues surrounding cultural diversity.

“High Resolves has interacted with more than 250,000 students since 2005 through a series of interactive programs aimed at helping students understand and address the issues of hate and intolerance facing some members of our diverse and multicultural communities,” said Mr Fletcher.

Mr Fletcher said that this funding commitment would allow High Resolves to provide greater access to their programs for students of schools in regional, rural and remote communities. 

“This funding enables High Resolves to build on its existing hubs in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to expand into a further eight regional centres - in Newcastle, Wollongong, Albury, Gold Coast, Tweed Heads, the Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Ballarat and Bendigo,” Mr Fletcher said.

“Supporting initiatives like this is an integral part of the Morrison Government’s commitment to building a stronger, safer and more resilient Australia – starting by backing local communities with locally-delivered initiatives,” Mr Fletcher said.

Since its inception in 2005, High Resolves has engaged more than 250,000 high school students across Australia and is rapidly expanding internationally. 

High Resolves Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mehrdad Baghai welcomed the additional funding and support from the Morrison Government.

“Our solution is education through experience: Our formula, based on learning science, recognises that sustained personal transformations must begin with peak experiences that shift a person’s thoughts and feelings about themselves and the world around them.

“In delivering this grant, we will focus on collective identity and independent thinking. Our curriculum prompts students to consider diversity, recognise their unconscious biases and develop the skills to think critically about what they hear, read and experience, and choose to respond with confidence and insight.