ACC will continue to be involved in sexual violence primary prevention in the community. For more information about the national approach to the elimination of family and sexual violence, see the national strategy Te Aorerekura.
ACC will continue to be involved in sexual violence primary prevention in the community. For more information about the national approach to the elimination of family and sexual violence, see the national strategy Te Aorerekura.
It isn’t just about dating. It’s about all kinds of relationships, including family and friends.
We want to teach young people how to:
We want to give young people the skills and knowledge to prevent the harm caused by sexual violence and dating violence.
These are the relationship and behaviour skills they can carry with them throughout their lives
Mates & Dates Programme - Facilitator
We want to teach young people:
Preventing sexual violence and dating violence is about more than identifying unhealthy relationships. It’s also about building on the strengths and skills young people already have.
‘Having Mates & Dates at your school will help students have healthier and happier relationships in and out of school’
SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
The number of young people reporting unwanted sexual contact or being made to do unwanted sexual things:
ACC fully fund Mates & Dates. It’s a multi-year programme taught in years 9-13 through five 50 minute sessions over about five weeks. It builds year on year and ties in with the learning area of health and physical education. It’s aimed at levels 4-8 of the New Zealand School Curriculum.
Schools decide if they want to register for Mates & Dates and then trained facilitators work with principals and teachers to look at the best time to deliver the programme for the school.
Students learn five core themes, repeated at each secondary school year:
Programme topics include:
It was really good to learn how to be in tricky situations and what to do if you need help. Also about when you can and can’t give consent, and if you should or not
STUDENT
Theme | Description | Outcomes |
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Year 9 | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. A safe atmosphere will be established for discussions about healthy and unhealthy behaviour in relationships of all types. |
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Year 9 | Through individual and group activities and discussions, students will practise negotiation and communication skills to interact positively with each other. |
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Year 9 | Through small group work and class discussions, students will consider gender stereotypes, the way men and women are represented in music videos and song lyrics and the impacts these stereotypes and representations may have on individuals. |
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Year 9 | Through class discussions and small group work, students will learn about power and control behaviours in unhealthy relationships. |
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Year 9 | Through group discussions and film resources, students will learn about how to help friends who are being harmed or who are harming others. |
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Year 10 | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. Students will identify effective communication and be introduced to the Mates & Dates consent poster. |
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Year 10 | Through small group work and class discussions, students will role play effective communication skills and be responding to pressure, including sexual pressure. |
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Year 10 | Through class discussions, scenario work and a continuum exercise, students will consider gender stereotypes and expectations and how these may affect the way individuals behave. |
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Year 10 | Through a film resource, class discussion and small group work, students will discuss consent in the context of sexual activity and the consequences of not gaining consent. |
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Year 10 | Through group discussions and a scenario exercise, students will learn how to help friends who are being harmed or who are harming others. |
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Year 11 | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. Students will also consider what they want from relationships, and healthy and unhealthy behaviours in relationships. |
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Year 11 | Through group activity and discussions, students will identify legal definitions of consent, the four parts of consent and how it applies to sexual situations. |
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Year 11 | Through class discussions, a continuum exercise and an advertising analysis, students will explore the relationship between alcohol and gender stereotypes related to sexual relationships. |
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Year 11 | Through a film resource, class discussions and small group work, students will learn how to identify and manage their feelings, particularly anger, and develop strategies to make non-violent choices. |
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Year 11 | Through group discussions and a film resource, students will consider the positives and negatives of online and communication technology and think about what it means to behave respectfully online. |
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Year 12 | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme and explore ways to end a relationship respectfully. |
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Year 12 | Through role play and class discussions, students will identify and practise consent, particularly in terms of non-verbal communication. |
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Year 12 | Through role play and class discussions, students will consider different perspectives on sex and sexuality and explore how they can learn from these different perspectives. |
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Year 12 | Through a film resource and group discussions, students will consider the barriers to reporting sexual violence and learn what specialist help can provide. |
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Year 12 | Through group discussions and a film resource, students will explore strategies to intervene in precursors to unsafe situations. |
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Year 13 |
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Year | Description | Outcomes |
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Healthy relationships | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. A safe atmosphere will be established for discussions about healthy and unhealthy behaviour in relationships of all types. |
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Healthy relationships | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. Students will identify effective communication and be introduced to the Mates & Dates consent poster. |
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Healthy relationships | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme. Students will also consider what they want from relationships, and healthy and unhealthy behaviours in relationships. |
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Healthy relationships | Through class discussions and a film resource, students will be introduced to the programme and explore ways to end a relationship respectfully. |
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Skills and consent | Through individual and group activities and discussions, students will practise negotiation and communication skills to interact positively with each other. |
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Skills and consent | Through small group work and class discussions, students will role play effective communication skills and be responding to pressure, including sexual pressure. |
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Skills and consent | Through group activity and discussions, students will identify legal definitions of consent, the four parts of consent and how it applies to sexual situations. |
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Skills and consent | Through role play and class discussions, students will identify and practise consent, particularly in terms of non-verbal communication. |
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When things go wrong | Through class discussions and small group work, students will learn about power and control behaviours in unhealthy relationships. |
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When things go wrong | Through a film resource, class discussion and small group work, students will discuss consent in the context of sexual activity and the consequences of not gaining consent. |
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When things go wrong | Through a film resource, class discussions and small group work, students will learn how to identify and manage their feelings, particularly anger, and develop strategies to make non-violent choices. |
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When things go wrong | Through a film resource and group discussions, students will consider the barriers to reporting sexual violence and learn what specialist help can provide. |
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Identity, gender and sexuality | Through small group work and class discussions, students will consider gender stereotypes, the way men and women are represented in music videos and song lyrics and the impacts these stereotypes and representations may have on individuals. |
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Identity, gender and sexuality | Through class discussions, scenario work and a continuum exercise, students will consider gender stereotypes and expectations and how these may affect the way individuals behave. |
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Identity, gender and sexuality | Through class discussions, a continuum exercise and an advertising analysis, students will explore the relationship between alcohol and gender stereotypes related to sexual relationships. |
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Identity, gender and sexuality | Through role play and class discussions, students will consider different perspectives on sex and sexuality and explore how they can learn from these different perspectives. |
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Keeping safe together | Through group discussions and film resources, students will learn about how to help friends who are being harmed or who are harming others. |
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Keeping safe together | Through group discussions and a scenario exercise, students will learn how to help friends who are being harmed or who are harming others. |
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Keeping safe together | Through group discussions and a film resource, students will consider the positives and negatives of online and communication technology and think about what it means to behave respectfully online. |
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Keeping safe together | Through group discussions and a film resource, students will explore strategies to intervene in precursors to unsafe situations. |
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all Themes |
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Plan early to make sure the programme can be introduced into your school. We suggest scheduling the programme around the end of the second term to make sure it's included in the curriculum for the following year.
If you would like more information about the programme, get in touch with the Mates & Dates team:
Email matesanddates@acc.co.nz
Mates & Dates secondary school programme (PDF 555 KB)
How to handle disclosures of abuse (PDF 754 KB)
Facilitators want to build a positive working relationship with schools and their teaching staff. They’ll work closely with your school to understand specific needs and your school culture. This will make sure all students are welcomed and catered for in the Mates & Dates programme.
Trained facilitators, usually one male and one female, deliver the programme in the classroom. There’s usually a teacher present. Facilitators have been chosen because they have:
Facilitators:
The programme has also been successfully introduced in faith-based schools. It’s about students making their own decisions for healthy and happy relationships, while being respectful of their own beliefs and values.
Facilitators don’t show any explicit material as Mates & Dates isn’t about sex education.
Our role is to support people who are injured in an accident and help to prevent injuries.
Sexual violence has huge personal, social, and economic effects. That’s why we actively work to prevent sexual violence and the injuries that can result from it.
Research tells us:
Young people have told us they get a lot of information on sex and safe sex, but not much on the social and emotional aspects of relationships.
Schools are already working to teach young people about healthy relationships. We want to build on and strengthen that work to help give young people the skills and knowledge to prevent the harm caused by sexual and dating violence.
Mates & Dates has been well researched and evaluated, so we know that it's safe and also has positive impacts for young people.
Young people may talk to you about the programme or about their own or their friends’ experiences. It’s important to:
Helping young people to have healthy relationships (PDF 236 KB)
An overview of Mates & Dates (PDF 208 KB)
How to handle disclosures of abuse (PDF 754 KB)
If would like more information about the programme, get in touch with the Mates & Dates team:
Email matesanddates@acc.co.nz
Find out where to go and how you can get help. Remember, your school guidance counsellor is always available to help.
To get access to ACC-funded support following sexual abuse or assault, visit the Find support website or contact the ACC Sensitive Claims team:
Find support website
Phone 0800 735 566 (Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm)
For help around sexual violence, including specialist services, or concern about harmful sexual violence behaviour towards others, visit:
For help around dating violence, including specialist services, visit:
For supporting youth, visit Youthline, or call and text them:
Youthline website
Phone 0800 376 633 or Free TXT 234
Mates & Dates research includes the following reports that can be downloaded:
Report on the 2017-18 Mates & Dates Survey (PDF 1.3 MB)
Findings from the Youth 2000 Survey Series (PDF 3.4 MB)
Youth’12 national youth health and wellbeing survey - 2016 (PDF 1.8 MB)
Youth 2000 Summary Report - July 2016 (PDF 458 KB)
International Research shows school based prevention works
GEORGIA KNOWLES, ACC INJURY PREVENTION PARTNER - MATES & DATES