Usually, when secondary school teachers talk to students about labelling each other, it's a conversation focused on the negatives of teen behaviour.

Catholic Regional College students Tara Ciantar and Christine Farrugia show off A Badge for Better. Their project encouraged fellow students to support each other through positive affirmations.

But at Catholic Regional College Sydenham, students Tara Ciantar and Christine Farrugia have turned this practice on its head with A Badge for Better.

A Badge for Better encourages students to highlight the best qualities in their classmates, teachers, friends and even parents by offering a badge which brightly declares that person's best attributes. Have a classmate who always makes you smile, no matter how bad your day has been? Then you might give her the 'Calm, Delightful, Happy' badge. Is there a teacher who always helps you work through your troubles? Maybe she deserves the 'Tranquil, Understanding, Loyal' badge.

Tara and Christine developed A Badge for Better after attending QVWC's Young Women, Body Image and the Digital Age Forum in April this year. The girls were among 34 year-11 representatives from across Victoria who came to the Centre to learn about the myths and challenges about body image presented by today's media. The girls were then given a small grant of $250 to return to their schools and deliver positive body image messages to their peers, based on what they had learned.

Working with in-school mentor Rima Daher, the girls developed their A Badge for Better idea. They even got special permission for students to be allowed to wear the badges, as badges are not usually permitted by the school uniform code.

'It's been wonderful,' Rima said, 'The girls all have their badges now and they never take them off!'

The students sold the badges for a gold coin donation in the cafeteria during lunch hour. The money raised from badge sales was donated to The Butterfly Foundation, an organisation focused on helping young women to develop positive body image.

QVWC are extremely proud of Tara and Christine for developing this great idea, and we're sure once others see it they'll be inspired to start A Badge for Better in their own schools. Great work, girls!

A Badge for Better: Instructions

A Badge for Better badges are a fun way to show others that you recognise their positive qualities.

There are better things to value about ourselves than the ones we usually do!

So…
Are you interested in turning that around?
Would you like to help someone feel great about themselves?

Thought so…
1. Go to the cafeteria at lunchtime, any day this week.
2. Choose a Badge for Better (from a range of 7 different character buttons) for one or more of your friends.
3. Give a gold coin donation for every badge you choose (Donations go to the Butterfly Foundation).
4. Give the badge and the gift of acknowledgement to your friend or LOTS of friends or ANYONE you know. Family, workmates .... maybe even a teacher!
5. Know that you have helped make a 'positive thinking' difference to somebody special. Beat that!

Help someone you know to value in themselves, what you value in them!