Breaking Through was developed in response to the concerns of the Departments of Education and Training (DE&T) and Human Services (DHS) about school bullying and violence and their link to depression and suicide in young people. It is a community development and holistic approach to challenge discrimination in schools involving families, students, staff and workers.
The project was funded by a combination of government and non-government funds for five years.
Breaking Through was awarded the 2001 VicHealth Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Health Promotion Award.
The Coordinator, Kerry Proctor, received the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Research Scholarship in Allied Health Sciences, 2004-2005.
Currently, The Bouverie Centre is available for consultation around training on Breaking Through.
The Breaking Through project was used as the basis for Kerry Proctor’s PhD thesis, entitled Breaking Through: A Whole-School Approach, Building Safer School Cultures and Greater Acceptance of Sexual Diversity. The thesis is available from La Trobe University.
The following articles, published by Bouverie staff and based on Breaking Through are available for download. The first one articulates the complexity of undertaking participatory action research within a whole school community, and describes the experience of engaging rural school communities in a community based, mental health project, from the perspective of family therapist/researchers who walk many lines within and between their clinical/research and project development roles.
Walking the Line
Proctor, K., McIlwaine, F., & Perlesz, A. (unpublished manuscript). ‘Walking the Line’—Engaging School Communities to Challenge Homophobia: 'the Breaking through Project': A Whole-School Approach for a Safer and More Inclusive School Environment. La Trobe University.
The second one explores the link between family therapy, clinical supervision and training and Theatre of the Oppressed (TOTO) that has not been explored either in Australia or overseas. This article outlines an innovative action research project explores ways of family therapists and supervisors applying these theatre techniques in their everyday practice.
Exploring TOTO
Proctor, K., Perlesz, A., Moloney, B., McIlwaine, F., O'Neill, I. 2008. ‘Exploring Theatre of the Oppressed in Family Therapy Clinical Work and Supervision,’ Journal of Counsellingand Psychotherapy Research, March, 8(1), 43-52
The artwork below was produced by students involved in Breaking Through:
