mini videos

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Turia Pitt!

In 2011 Turia was a mining engineer, she loved running and physical challenges in general. Turia was 26 when she decided to compete in a 100km ultra-marathon through the Australian outback. Suddenly, she and some fellow runners were caught in a terrifying grassfire. Turia was choppered out of the remote desert barely alive, with full thickness burns to 65 percent of her body. She lost seven fingers, had over 200 medical procedures and spent two gruelling years in recovery. Turia had to learn to talk and walk again.

Since then, Turia has written three best-selling books and she teaches people how to achieve their goals, in fact she has coached over 40,000 people in her digital courses and she continues to write a weekly HILARIOUS blog. 

Turia has also competed in the Ironman World Championships, sailed a boat around French Polynesia and walked the Kokoda Trek. 

Turia has also raised over a million dollars for Interplast, an incredible not-for-profit organisation. They send teams of volunteer medical practitioners to 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region, providing life-saving surgery and healthcare to people who desperately need it. Turia chose this particular charity because she knows that if her accident had happened in a developing country she would have died. 

Thousands of people in developing countries can’t afford access to basic medical care and Interplast is making a huge difference in this area. 

Turia has gone on to have 2 healthy, strong and very loved boys.

Share story + questions here

What do you think Turia's top character strengths are and why?

What are some of the things Turia has managed to do since her accident?

Why do you think Turia supports Interplast?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Frida Kahlo!

Frida, a famous Mexican artist was born on 6th of July 1907 in the little town Coyoacan just outside Mexico City.

At the age of 6 she contracted Polio, a virus that affects the spine and was confined to bed for rest for months. Over this time her father, who was a painter and photographer, taught her a lot about art and literature and encouraged her to take part in sport to help her recovery. 

Polio crippled Frida’s spine and left her right foot smaller than her left and due to her months of best rest Frida also started school later than her peers. Frida was determined for this not hold her back and dreamed of becoming a doctor. 

At the age of 18 this dream was dashed when she was involved in a serious bus accident and this changed her life forever. Frida broke many bones and found herself once again in bed recovering but this time in a full body cast. Her mother gave her a lap easel and mirror to help her pass the time while she recovered. This began Frida’s love for painting and her first subject was herself. 

Frida channelled the pain and limitations of her recovery by creating many self portraits,. Over time she developed quite a talent and this caught the attention of a very famous Mexican Artist Diego Rivera. He fell in love with her work and with her and they were married in 1929.

Shortly after they traveled to the USA for Diego’s work. In the USA Frida met many artists and saw many different forms of art that inspired her to continue painting. She always struggled with her health and after returning from the USA she found herself in need of bed rest again. She continued painting herself but her view and imagination had changed and she explored and painted beyond what she could see. 

The awareness of Frida and her talent was growing and she was invited back to the USA for a solo exhibition and then to Paris. Her health was always a complication and shortly after returning from her travels she had to have several operations to help her spine. She spent the rest of her life living, painting, resting and recovering in Casa Azul, the Blue House, her family home Today Casa Azul is a living museum to Frida Kahlo and her incredible life. She died at the young age of 47 leaving behind an impressive body of work that showcased the incredibly creative, courageous resilient woman she was.

Share story + questions here 

What do you think Frida's character strengths are and why?

What happened to Frida Kahlo at age 6 and how did this affect her?

What was Frida given after the bus accident at aged 18 and what did she use it for?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Greta Thunberg!

Greta was born on January 3rd, 2003 and was always very curious about the world around her. For instance she wanted to know why her parents were strict about switching of the lights, not wasting water when brushing your teeth and never throwing away food. She was even more curious as to why if burning fossil fuels was so bad for the environment and even threatened our very existence, why did governments and people continue like before?

Greta started reading as many books as she could get her hands on. However this overwhelmed her so much that she became depressed and at the age of 11 she stopped speaking. Her parents took her to the doctor and at the time they diagnosed her with Asperger's syndrome and selective mutism. This syndrome no longer exists, instead it is acknowledged that we are all on a spectrum and there is a bigger call to action to celebrate and respect neuro-diversity. Greta does have a type of autism that is often associated with life long learning for particular subjects and a lack of social inhibition in furthering your own ideas. Her parents realised the only time Greta's eyes lit up was when she was problem solving about helping the planet. Her mother stopped taking planes to places for her work and her father drove an electric car, as a family they stopped eating meat. The more Greta realised she was able to make a difference, the more powerful she felt.

One morning instead of going to school, Greta sat down outside Sweden's parliament building with a placard that said 'School strike for Climate' She began to attract attention from all conners of the world. She received criticism from teachers, politicians and members of the public. But she also received a lot of support. She was invited to speak on a TED talk, in the 9th minute of this powerful speech she invited young people to join the Green Nation and over 270 countries began #FridaysForFuture where information and slogans can be shared. The first global strike occurred on the 15th of March and saw 1.6 million students take to the streets 1,700 cities around the world.

Thunberg has addressed the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference and a year later to avoid flying, Thunberg sailed to North America where she attended the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit. She has received numerous honours and awards, including an honorary Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, inclusion in Time's 100 most influential people, being the youngest Time Person of the Year.

Thunberg recently turned 18, she no longer buys any new clothes and takes no flights. She has received criticism from many politicians such as Putin and Trump, however she continues to passionately encourage us all to do more to help the environment. 

Share story + questions here

What character strengths do you think Greta has and why?

Why do you think Greta's parents made changes to the way they lived?

Which part of Greta's story do you find most inspiring or interesting and why?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG)!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second female Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States of America. Ginsburg had a long journey to that role. In the fall of 1956, Ginsburg enrolled at Harvard Law School, where she was one of only 9 women in a class of about 500 men. 

RBG was the only person to have ever become a mother before starting law school at Harvard. Her husband, Martin, also attended Harvard Law School. After the birth of their daughter, Martin was diagnosed with cancer. During this period, Ginsburg attended class and took notes for both of them, typing her husband's dictated papers and caring for their daughter and her sick husband. 

RBG was the first woman ever to be on two major law reviews: the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review. In fact she graduated first in her class!

Ginsburg spent much of her legal career as an advocate for gender equality and women's rights, winning many arguments before the Supreme Court. An example of one of these cases was Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015. This was a major moment for same-sex couples and the rights of LGBTQ Americans. In the case, a number of same-sex couples sued their respective states over bans against same-sex marriages and not recognising their legal marriages. Ginsberg’s vote helped overturn the marriage bans; legalising same-sex marriage in every U.S. state. 

There are nine justices on the Supreme Court. Ginsburg said "If I'm asked, when will there be enough women on the Supreme Court, I say, when there are nine. People are socked but I tell them, well there have been 9 men forever and nobody's ever raised their eyebrows at that."

In 2019, the Berggruen Institute, an independent think tank, awarded Ginsburg its annual $1 million prize for Philosophy and Culture, praising her as "a constant voice for justice, equal and accessible to all." She donated the winnings to dozens of nonprofits, including The Malala Fund, founded by Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, which advocates for girls' stable access to free, safe and quality schooling.

Right up until her death in September 2020, aged 87, RBG still did 20 push ups a day!

Share story + questions here

What do you think are RBG's top character strengths and why?

Why do you think it might be important for young people to know her story?

How many push ups can you do? Have a crack right now!

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carters!


Beyonce is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. She has starred in films and has gone on to be a solo artist, in fact she is one of the world's best-selling recording artists, having sold 118 million records worldwide.

When Beyonce was 12 years old she appeared on s talent TV show. She and her group had worked incredibly hard to be there and were aiming to win. They believe that they could give it everything and work super hard and that this would ensure winning. However they lost. Beyonce says it was her first lesson on failing: “You’re never too good to lose; you’re never too big to lose.”

Beyoncé is the first artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with their first six solo studio albums. In 2014, Billboard named her the highest-earning black musician of all time, while in 2020, she was included on Time's list of 100 women who defined the last century.

Beyoncé is passionate and thankful for the women of colour who have come before them and she encourages industry and power to continually prioritise diversity and end prejudice, she says:

"If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own."

The list of charities she supports is both long and varied, but perhaps the greatest contribution she has made is the Survivor Foundation, an organisation she founded with fellow Destiny’s Child Kelly Rowland to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In April 2020, Beyoncé donated $6 million to the National Alliance in Mental Health, UCLA and local community-based organizations in order to provide mental health and personal wellness services to essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same month Beyoncé released a remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage", with all proceeds benefiting Bread of Life Houston’s COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes providing over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in Houston weekly.

In May 2020, Beyoncé provided 1,000 free COVID-19 tests in Houston as part of her and her mother's #IDidMyPart initiative, which was established due to the disproportionate deaths in African-American communities. Additionally, 1,000 gloves, masks, hot meals, essential vitamins, grocery vouchers and household items were provided. In July 2020

Beyonce is A 22-time Grammy winner, and now the voice of Nala in Disney’s The Lion King remake, she is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Beyoncé ends one of her many interviews with this thought:

"I want to learn more, teach more, and live in full."

Share story + questions here

What do you think are Beyoncé's top character strengths and why?

Why do you find inspiring or interesting about her story?

If you had a tonne of money right now, which charity from the above would you support? And which charity of your own choosing would you give to? Explain why for both.

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Adam Goodes!

Adam Goodes was a former Australian rules footballer. Goodes twice won the Brownlow medal awarded each season to the best football player in the country. He won two Premierships with the Sydney Swans and played more games in the Australian Football League than any other Indigenous footballer.

When Goodes was a boy, football offered him joy and inclusivity. His family moved around a lot and it was difficult to make friends but sport helped. Goodes said: "The football field was a place where I could express myself and just be me. Play the game as well as you can and that’s what you’re judged on. Not the colour of your skin, or your beliefs, or the conversation you have around racism.”

However, between 2013 and 2015, at Goodes's peak, it became a divisive battleground of racism. On 24 May 2013, Goodes and the Swans played Collingwood in the AFL’s annual Indigenous Round which is meant to celebrate diversity. As he ran towards the touchline a Collingwood supporter yelled that he was “an ape”. Goodes pointed straight at the fan. She was a 13-year-old girl who was escorted from the arena by stewards. Goodes was deeply distressed but the next day he bore no animosity and he said the girl was not at fault and merely influenced by people and society around her. When the girl called and apologised, Goodes accepted it and told the media that she needed support and not judgement. Despite his courage, compassion and forgiveness, Goodes was attacked by the media labelling him a bully. 

The abuse of Goodes escalated. For two years he was booed by the crowd. Every time he touched, kicked, took a mark he was booed. The booing continued in strength and velocity, almost like a howl. During another of the AFL's annual Indigenous Round, Goodes celebrated a goal by performing an Indigenous war dance in which he mimed throwing a spear in the direction of the Carlton cheer squad who had been booing him all night. Goodes said after the incident that the dance was based on one he learned from under-16s Indigenous team the Flying Boomerangs, and that it was intended as an expression of Indigenous pride during Indigenous Round, not as a means of offending or intimidating the crowd. The booing of Goodes intensified in the months after the war dance.

The impact it took on Goodes emotional wellbeing was huge, he decided to get away and travel to the Flinders Ranges in the South Australian outback where he reconnected spiritually and emotionally with his ancestors who had lived in Australia 60,000 years before the British arrived in 1770. It was here he decided to quit AFL.

Goodes played seven more games for his beloved Swans. No one, apart from the Swans’ chief executive, knew of his decision. There was simply an outpouring of love as people wore his No 37 shirt and held up banners saying: “I Stand with Adam.”

The "booing saga" sparked a national debate about racism in Australia and became the subject of two documentary films, both released in 2019. That year, the AFL formally apologised to Goodes for not taking greater action to defend him against fan abuse.

Goodes is now the co-founder of the GO Foundation. It's central focus is supporting Indigenous young people with education. GO seeks to empower Indigenous Australian youth to change their own lives. He believes passionately in equality and in putting kindness into action.

Share story + questions here

What do you think are Goodes's top character strengths and why?

Goodes says:

"If people only remember me for my football, I've failed in life."

What do you think this means? Why do you think Goodes would see it as a failure?

Goodes says:

"The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday"

What do you think this means? Write it down and reflect on it.

Follow on ideas for students:

Watch the documentary The Final Quarter

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Owen and Mzee, a baby hippo and a 130 year old tortoise, who formed an unlikely friendship.

A few facts about hippos and tortoises!

The semi-aquatic Hippopotamus is the world’s third largest land animal and are more closely related to whales and dolphins than other herbivorous land grazers. Despite their appearance, hippos are known to be unpredictable at times and are responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other animal!

The Aldabra tortoise can weigh up to 250kg, they move super super slowly and prefer to be alone. They eat mainly grass, herbs, leaves and fruit but are said to also eat meat when it is available.

Before the unlikely friendship began, Owen, a baby hippopotamus lived with his mother in a pod of about 20 other hippos. They fed and wallowed in and around the Sabaki River in a small coastal town called Malindi in Kenya. 

On the morning of 26, 2004 a devastating tsunami occurred in the eastern Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. The towering waves of the tsunami were caused by a massive earthquake under the ocean floor near Indonesia. More than 175,000 people lost their lives and entire towns were destroyed.

Villagers in Malindi noticed the day after the tsunami that there was a baby hippopotamus in the sea, without its mother, stranded on a sandy coral reef among the sea grass. He seemed too frightened and exhausted to reach the safety of the shore on his own. Soon hundreds of villagers were working together to help the young hippo, they tried everything from boats, to ropes, to cars and more to rescue him. But he was HUGE and scared and very angry with the humans! 

Eventually a man named Owen bravely tackled the baby hippo to the ground and held him calmly and for long enough for ropes to be placed around him. This enabled the villagers to safely drive the baby hippo, now named Owen, to a wonderful animal sanctuary nearby called Haller Park. By now Owen was very dehydrated and rescuers were worried that if he didn't start eating and drinking soon, they would lose him.

Owen was placed in a part of a park that had a pond, a mud wallow and tall trees. The area was already home to a number of velvet monkeys and a giant 130 year old tortoise called Mzee (which means wise old man in the Swahaili language). Mzee liked his own company and NOT anybody else's!

As soon as Owen was released into the sanctuary he headed for Mzee and crouched behind him. Mzee was not impressed, hissing and trying to bite Owen and constantly moving away. But Mzee was very slow so Owen persevered and kept up easily, constantly following him around. The workers in the park tried to give Owen food and water but he would not eat or drink, they became even more concerned. However they noticed Mzee showing Owen his favourite leaves to eat and Owen began to nibble away. When the park workers checked on the pair the next morning they were snuggled up together.

Interestingly they began to observe that grumpy old Mzee was enjoying Owen’s company. He started not just leading Owen but also following him, they swam, drank and played together. They would rub noses together and slept side by side.These two animals could easily have injured each other. In fact, wildlife experts are still puzzled about how a mammal, such as Owen, and a reptile, such as Mzee formed such a strong bond. They became inseparable and Owen as a result began to flourish.

Share story + questions here 

What does this story teach you about friendship?

What character strengths do you think the villagers displayed?

Do you think it is important for friends to like the same things or to have similar values? Why?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Sir David Attenborough. Sir David is an English broadcaster and a natural historian. He is best known for writing and presenting on natural history documentary series. To give you a glimpse into what is important to Sir David here are two quotes:

"It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living."

 "It's surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home not just for us, but for all life on Earth."

When Sir David was a child his love of animals began. He collected fossils and cared for newts in a pond. His passion for animals and the natural world increased each year. He was so interested in wildlife and how animals eat, sleep, communicate and survive that he decided to make a programme about them. Since then he has spent the last 60 years travelling the world, filming wild animals and plants and trying to make humans aware of how incredible nature is here on Earth.

Sir David's reason for being has been to shine a light on the damage being done to the environment and to call on humans to do more to protect it. By raising awareness he has helped to save some of the world's rarest animals. For example when he spent time in Rwanda in the 1970s he showed the public how these special creatures were facing extinction.

Sir David always approaches animals in the wild with curiosity and respect and always remaining calm. His documentaries have allowed humans to see creatures in their natural habitats which have lead to people being more compassionate towards them. His latest documentary and book called A Life on our Planet (see trailer) is a letter to and invitation to us all to DO MORE to take care of our precious planet. At 93 years young he is still a passionate climate change activist.

Share story + questions here

What do you think are Sir David's top character strengths and why?

Why do you think people seeing animals on the TV might inspire them to take care of animals?

What do you think you could do to start taking care of the environment today? (Listen to: Would You Rather podcast episode on climate change)

This is a plortrait (playdough portrait) of J.K Rowling, a British author, philanthropist, film producer, television producer, and screenwriter. 

J.K is best known for writing the Harry Potter fantasy series, which has won multiple awards and sold more than 500 million copies!

J.K’s story however had many bumps before success! J.K was working as a researcher for Amnesty International in 1990 when she started thinking about a character in her head called Harry, who catches a train to a school of magic. However soon after J.K began writing she was pulled away from her work by the devastating death of her mother, sh felt unable to write and became grief stricken and depressed. A desire to shift from her low feelings, J.K decuded to take a job teaching english in Portugal for a year. Her aim had been to continue working on her book and to enjoy the sun.

J.K soon fell in love, became pregnant and then quickly got divorced. She came back to the UK with nothing, no job, no finished book and no money. She started having to live of unemployment benefits in her desperation to feed her baby and herself. It was freezing cold and while her baby daughter would sleep, JK would seek refuge in a warm cafe. Here she would continue writing her book about Harry. 

When J.K finally finished the first three chapters, she sent the manuscript off to a publisher and they quickly rejected it. She sent it to another publisher. Again, the answer was no. Her mailbox filled up with rejection letters, but she didn’t let it stop her.

After sending her manuscript to 12 different publishers and getting rejected by every single one, J.K. began losing confidence in her book. However, she persisted, sending it on yet again to another publisher.

Finally, the editor at Bloomsbury Publishing company sat down to read the manuscript. And so did the editor’s 8-year-old daughter. The little girl loved the opening chapters and begged to read the whole thing. This made the publisher agree to publish J.K’s novel. But J.K was left with a warning: that she should get a day job because she wouldn’t make any money writing children’s books. 

Well J.K. has since become one of the best selling authors of all time!! In fact, she was the first female to become a billionaire author! Harry Potter is now the best-selling books series in history.

J.K. Rowling went from being a jobless single mother living off unemployment benefits to one of the best selling authors of all time. 

The Forbes Rich list has however reported that J.K. lost her billionaire status after giving away much of her earnings to charity. These include Comic Relief (a charity that raises money for people suffering from famine in Ethiopia) ,Gingerbread (a charity that support single parents to find employment, and Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain, as well as launching her own charity, Lumos (a charity that helps children living in harmful orphanages and other institutions, find a brighter future).

Share story + questions here

What do you think are J.K's top character strengths and why?

What do you think is the main message to story behind the creation of Harry Potter?

When have you persisted with something and ended up achieving a goal?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Iqbal Masih

Iqbal was a boy who became a symbol of abusive child labour in Pakistan. When Iqbal was only four years old his family borrowed 600 rupees (less than US$12.00) from a local employer who owned a carpet weaving business. In return, Iqbal was required to work as a carpet weaver until the debt was paid off. Every day, he would rise before dawn and make his way along dark country roads to the factory, where he and most of the other children were tightly bound with chains to the carpet looms to prevent escape. I


One day, a little boy in the carpet factory had a high fever. Ghullah, the owner, tied the boy’s feet together and hanged him upside down from the ceiling fan. “I’m the one who decides when you work,” roared Ghullah.

In that instant, Iqbal decided he had had enough. He started to run away from work as often as he could, however he would always be caught and forced to return. At the age of 10, Iqbal again escaped his slavery, after learning that bonded labour was declared illegal by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He fled and went to the police to report the factory, but the police brought him straight back. 

Iqbal escaped a second time and was able to find and attend the Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) School for former child slaves. Incredibly, he quickly completed a four-year education in only two years. Iqbal started to tell his friends and children in other carpet factories that they didn’t have to stay with their owners any longer. Children stared leaving carpet factories in their hundreds and thousands.Iqbal then began speaking at meetings. He would always end his speeches by saying: “We are...”. And all the children would respond: “FREE!”

With his new skills and confidence, Iqbal helped over 3,000 Pakistani children that were in bonded labour to escape to freedom by making speeches about child labour throughout the world and demanding change. He dreamt of becoming a lawyer so he could continue to help children be free of slavery. He started to receive threats to his life, but Iqbal was determined to help children who had not been able to flee, he continued to speak out.

In 1994 he received the Reebok Human Rights Award in Boston. Iqbal is also ‘Person of the week’ at one of the USA’s largest TV companies. At home in Pakistan, some people get angry when they see that Iqbal tells his story on TV and in newspapers. They fear it may become more difficult to sell Pakistani rugs abroad if child labor and debt slavery are talked about around the world. 

Tragically Iqbal aged 12, was killed by the carpet mafia in Pakistan in 1995. His legacy is inspiring, a few to spotlight include:

- Iqbal's cause inspired the creation of organisations such as We Charity - Canada-based charity and youth movement, and the Iqbal Masih Shaheed Children Foundation, which has started over 20 schools in Pakistan

-In 2000 he received a posthumous World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child 

- Books have been written about him, to help share his story.

Share story + questions here

What do you think Iqbal's top character strengths are and why?

Which part of his story did you find the most interesting/alarming?

Do you think child slavery still exists today? What could you do about it, if it does?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Eddie Woo

Eddie is a high school Maths teacher in Australia. 

In 2012,  a student in Eddie’s class that he was teaching was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which meant he was critically ill and away from school for huge chunks of time. Eddie felt very personally that he should do something about this. He decided that he would start recording the lessons on his phone so that the student could watch. Students in his class wanted to watch the lessons again too so Eddie would share the video links with them. They started sharing it with friends in other classes who went on to share it with students from other schools. Eddie’s way of teaching is full of enthusiasm and zest, he also has a gift of making complex subject matter simple. As a result of this his videos soon became hugely popular which lead to Eddie creating a youtube channel called Wootube which currently has 1.22 million subscribers!! 

But Eddie did not always love maths and he was strongly discouraged from becoming a teacher by his beloved parents. Growing up, Eddie was fairly miserable at school. He was bullied and the subject of racism. His parents were born in Malaysia but had moved to Australia largely to give their future children a good education. Eddie was born in Australia and felt Australian but looked Chinese. Unkind kids at school could see that Eddie loved to read, they would take his books off him and he would find them in the playground dirty and ripped. His parents adored him and felt for him but also said to him “Sometimes life is not fair”. 

It wasn’t until high school that Eddie started to enjoy school and he believes this was due to compassionate teachers. In fact, these teachers inspired him to also make a difference for students and become a teacher himself. Eddie scored 98 in his final exams and his parents wanted him to be a lawyer or a doctor, but Eddie was determined to teach. Those last 2 years had been horrendous for Eddie and his family as their mother became critically ill with lung cancer and died.

In Eddie’s classroom there is one rule and he calls it the human rule,  “I will treat you like humans and I expect you to treat me like a human too.” He believes that one of the most important qualities of a teacher is to be compassionate. His youtube channel means anyone can look up videos for mathematical topics they don't understand for free. Eddie has changed the minds of thousands of students who felt they hated Maths, simply through his joy, skill and energy. Eddie records videos not just on Maths, he believes in kindness and in understanding the impact of your actions on others. 

Eddie has won many awards and yet all those around him say he is not arrogant at all. He remains driven to give back and to serve.

Share story + questions here

What do you think Eddie’s top character strengths are and why?

Do you think the hardships Eddie faced throughout life impacted what he went on to do? How?

What do you think about Maths? Are you inspired to learn more?

This is a plortrait (playdough portrait) of Cathy Freeman.

Cathy is an Olympic gold medal winner. 

Cathy was born in Mackay (Queensland) on 16 February, 1973. Her mother is of the Kuku Yalanji people of far north Queensland and along with Cathy’s grandmother was born in the Indigenous community of Palm Island. Cathy’s father was born in Woorabinda and is of the Burri Gubba people of central Queensland. From a very young age Cathy loved to run, in fact she won her face race at 8 years old, from there on in she became hooked on running. 

Cathy won her first gold medal in the 4 by 100 metre relay at the 1990 Commonwealth Games when she was just sixteen years old. 

4 years later Cathy was back at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Cathy Freeman pulled a carefully folded Aboriginal flag from her kit bag and handed it to her coach. She wanted it waiting at the finish line, just in case. Freeman wanted to carry her people and her culture with her through each success. As a child, she’d been made to feel embarrassed to be Aboriginal and, at around the age of 10, wasn’t given a first-place trophy she’d won, “apparently because I was Black”.

If you win in the finals it is normal to do a victory lap whereby you carry the flag that represents your country. Freeman draped the Aboriginal flag and the Australian national flag around her during her victory lap. This caused controversy and a large amount of media attention. At that time the Aboriginal flag was not recognised as an official Australian flag.

“I wanted to shout, ‘Look at me. Look at my skin. I’m black, and I’m the best.’ There was no more shame’.” Freeman said in her biography, Cathy: Her Own Story.

By the following morning, a debate had swelled back home in Australia, after Australia’s Chef de Mission for the games, Arthur Tunstall, issued a statement publicly reprimanding the star athlete over her use of the Aboriginal flag.

“She should have carried the Australian flag first up, and (we should have) not seen the Aboriginal flag at all,” he told media.

Quietly defiant, Freeman tied the two together and paraded them once again after her historic victory in the 200m just days later. 

In 2000, Sydney was the host to the Olympic Games. The pressure to cross the finish line first and become the first Aboriginal person to win Olympic gold in an individual event was massive. Every paper, radio and news outlet had their eyes on Cathy, would she really be able to do it?

Can you imagine how nervous she must have felt? Sometimes when we feel too much pressure we can underperform. Cathy knew she was at risk of this so she decided to work on her mind, just as much as her body to learn how to use her emotions to help her.

Cathy started to say affirmations to herself: “I know how to do this, I can do this in my sleep...I can win this, I will win this. Who’s going to stop me? I go, I go and I go.” Cathy also drew on the strength of her ancestors saying about them and her opponents in the race  "My ancestors were the first people to walk on this land. Those other girls were always going to come up against my ancestors. Who's going to stop me?"

Cathy won the gold medal!! Again she draped the both flags over her. This time there was no controversy. This act was seen as a moment for the nation, symbolising the Australian people’s desire for reconciliation and pride in her Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Cathy now oversees the Cathy Freeman Foundation (CFF) which delivers educational programs to 1,600 Indigenous children across four remote communities: Palm Island, Woorabinda, Wurrumiyanga and Galiwin'ku.

Share story + questions here

What do you think Cathy's top character strengths are and why?

Why do you think Cathy wanted to carry both flags?

Cathy said she was 'hooked' on running, what are you hooked on?

This is a playdough portrait of Dylan Martin Alcott, OAM 

When Dylan was born in Melbourne, Victoria, he had a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord which was operated on during the first few weeks of his life. The tumour was successfully cut out; however, it left Dylan a paraplegic, requiring him to use a wheelchair.

This quote by Dylan sums up his attitude of living with a disability:

"The biggest thing is that for every one thing you can't do, there are 10,000 others you can. For every one idiot to give you a hard time, there are 10,000 others worth your time."

Dylan went on to become an Australian wheelchair basketball player, wheelchair tennis player, radio host and motivational speaker.  Dylan is known for being cheeky, making people laugh, laughing at himself and using humour to connect with a wide range of people.

Whatever Dylan seems to be doing, he always brings energy and excitement to it.

Most recently Dylan became the first man to win the “golden slam”, which means he won 4 traditional grand slam tournaments and won an Olympic gold medal in a calendar year. Every time he plays he has a big beaming smile on his face. Every time he speaks he is either cracking a joke and is enthusiastic in how he approaches life!

This is what Dylan says about why he plays sport:

“I don’t get out of bed every day to play to win a tennis tournament, I honestly don’t. I do it because I love it, but it also provides me with a platform to do what I really want: which is to continue to change the perceptions around disability.”

Alongside his sporting career, Dylan has his own foundation to help others. Its  purpose is to help young Australians with disabilities gain confidence, fulfill their potential and achieve their dreams. Dylan says:

 “I’m proud to be disabled. I'm proud to be me and I’m proud to play wheelchair tennis."

Share story + questions here

What are Dylan's 3 top character strengths? And why?

What do you find inspiring or interesting about Dylan's story?

Has it changed your perceptions/feelings/beliefs about people living with disabilities and what they can and cannot do? Why/why not?

If you could compete in an Olympic or professional sport, which one would it be and why?

5-7 year olds:

Which character strengths did you pick for Sophie?

In pairs share how you felt watching Sophie's story, what did you find interesting? 

Share your partner's thoughts with the rest of the class

If needed: teacher can read the Grow Your Mind description for joyfulness, gratitude and love

Again in pairs: How can you bring more joy to people around you?

Share with the rest of the class.

DRAW:

A picture of the people in your life who help you feel strong and resilient

7- 12 year olds:

Think Pair Share - Think quietly about Sophie's story, her injuries and her outlook on life. What really stands out for you?

Pair - chat about your thoughts with a partner and the strengths you both picked out

Share - with the rest of the class

Reflect: Write a list of the people you feel help you to be strong and resilient. Write a letter of gratitude to one of them and post it/hand deliver it.

Reflect: How can you bring more joy to people around you? At home and at school?

Gratitude meditation. Practice this mediation once a week.

Gratitude reflection questions. Answer each question Monday-Friday.

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Sophie Delezio. 

Sophie was 2 years old and asleep at her daycare in 2003 when a car crashed through the window, causing herself and another little girl to be trapped under the burning vehicle. People that were passing by helped rescue her and other distressed children. Sophie suffered burns to 85% of her body, lost both of her feet, one hand, and her right ear. Sophie went on to spend 6 months in Westmead Children's Hospital. The media adored her as despite her horrific injuries she seemed to have a joyfulness about her and beaming smile.  

Two years later, on 5 May 2006, Sophie was again badly injured in a road accident. While being pushed across a crossing by her nanny in a wheelchair (her service dog Tara by her side) she was hit by a car and thrown 18 metres. Sophie suffered a heart attack, a broken jaw, a broken shoulder, bruising to her head, numerous rib fractures and a tear to her left lung. This time she spent over a month in hospital.

Sophie’s courage, strength, faith and cheeky sense of humour remained strong throughout both accidents and still shines through today.

Her parents launched the Day of Difference Foundation in 2004. This was inspired by knowing how hard it had been for Sophie but also for them as parents and for Mitchell, Sophie's brother. Suddenly their world revolved around medical appointments and specialists. The charity has raised millions of dollars to date.

Sophie appreciates her family hugely and talks openly about the love and support that has always enabled her to continue on. Sophie also takes huge joy in the things she can do, she is proud to have travelled independently, to be studying at university and proud of her ability to walk. She is even proud of things that are easy to take for granted, like the fact that she can grow some  hair on her head. Sophie takes pride in her appearance. She seems to be able to shift from what she cannot do and what she does not have, to instead looking at what she can do and focusing on what she does have in her life.

Sophie says: 

"Everything is a choice. You can choose not to see the positive in things. You can choose to just focus on the negatives and wallow in pity. Everyone is allowed to grieve but you also need to look at the beauty in the world."

Share story + questions here

What are Sophie's top 3 character strengths?

In Sophie's story you sense that family has been a huge part of her ability to recover and heal. Who in your life can you depend on to be there for you, no matter what?

What do you think of Sophie's quote about choice? Do you agree, disagree? Why?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Ronni Kahn!

“Each and every one of us has inside of us the very best version of what we are meant to be. Do what brings you joy because there you will find your purpose”

Ronni was born in South Africa, during the apartheid (a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.) Ronni witnessed inequality and discrimination. She left before she was able to make a difference and a positive change. This stayed with her for a long time. 

When Ronni arrived in Australia she ran an events company for 17 years, she loved it but there was a part of it that always made her heart sink. Any food that was not eaten by the guests of these events would end up in the bin. One night in 2002, Ronni could not bear it any longer. Taking the uneaten, leftover food she drove to a charity and delivered it to people in need. Suddenly she realised she had found her calling and she knew what she had to do.

In 2004, Ronni founded the charity OzHarvest, it quickly grew to become Australia’s leading food rescue organisation. The charity saves excess food from ending up in landfill and delivers it to charities to help feed people in need. Ronni feels she has truly found her calling making such a difference to the lives of so many and to the planet.

“Purpose is fundamental to living a full and healthy life”

OzHarvest feeds millions in need, in fact since 2020 and the start of the current pandemic, those millions of people in need has only increased. Pre 2020, there were 5 million people in Australia needing food relief, there are now 16 million people who need help.

 Ronni believes that feeding people in need stops food from waste which is one of the greatest acts of environmental protection we can do, she knows that people and planet is all we have. So we must treasure both. Ronni feels so relieved that after leaving South Africa, she can finally give back.

Share story + questions here

What are Ronni’s 3 top character strengths? And why?

Why do you think the number of people needing food relief has increased from 5 million to 16 million?

Ronni talks about the importance of doing something that brings you joy. What brings you joy? What do you love to do?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Eddie Jaku

“Don’t hate anyone, hate is a disease. It will destroy your enemy but also destroy you in the process.”

Eddie was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1920 to a loving family. Things in Germany began to change dramatically and his family felt that it would be safer for him to attend boarding school under a false name. This was due to the fact that Eddie was Jewish and at the time hatred, fear and misinformation about Jewish people was spreading in Germany.

On the 9th November 1938, Eddie returned home from boarding school but no one was there. He went to bed with his loyal dog Lulu. At 5am, the door was smashed in by Nazi soldiers. Eddie was beaten and his beloved dog was killed, he watched as his home was burned to the ground.

What followed for Eddie was years of headache, struggle and immense sadness. Eddie endured 4 horrific holocaust camps. He managed to escape at various points, once through the floorboards of a train, he hid in the attic with his sister and parents too. However in October 1943, the family was arrested. Eddie again endured a gruelling train ride to Auschwitz, where his mother, aged 43, and father, 50, were murdered in a gas chamber. 

Eddie says, if you have the opportunity today, please go home and tell your mother that you love her, do it for Eddie who cannot tell it to his mother. Eddie says he still misses his mother today.

 When Auschwitz was evacuated, Eddie was sent on a death march. He miraculously managed to escape this march, hiding in a cave in a forest, only eating slugs and snails. Eddie fell ill after drinking poisoned water from a creek in the forest. Luckily, he managed to crawl to a highway where he was rescued by an American tank. This was in June 1945.

Eddie married his wife Flore Molho in Belgium, but despite loving Flore greatly he felt sad a lot of the time and struggled to connect with people. It was not until he had his first baby, a boy called Michael that Eddie decided to see the positives around him and to change how he felt. He still did not talk about what happened to him for years and years but then decided that in order to honour his family and all those that lost their lives he would start speaking the truth.

Up until very recently, Eddie has spent his years sharing with people his story and his wisdom about kindness, love and slowing down to enjoy the day.

“I feel it is my duty to tell my story. I know if my mother were here she would say: ‘Do it for me. Try to make the world a better place.’

“This is the most important thing I have ever learnt: the greatest gift is to be loved by another person. Love saved me. My family saved me. Small acts of kindness last longer than a lifetime.”

Eddie says friendship also helped him to go from surviving to thriving. Eddie lived until the age of 101, on the 12th of October 2021, Eddie left our world.

Share story + questions here

What are Eddie’s 3 top character strengths? And why?

Why do you think it is important to know Eddie's story?

Which part of Eddie's story did you find the most interesting?

Who can you go home to tonight and tell them that you love them? 

Think Pair Share - What are Jacinda Ardern's character strengths?

What would be the first change you would make if you were Prime Minister? Why that change?

What did you find interesting about her story?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand. To give you a glimpse into what is important to Jacinda here are two quotes:

"One of the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe that you cannot be both compassionate and strong."

"I want to be a good leader, not a good lady leader. I don't want to be known simply as the woman who gave birth."

What do you think are Jacinda's top character strengths and why?

Do you share any of Mandela's strengths? 

What about anyone else you know?

What did you find most interesting about Mandela's story?

Is there a particular issue you would like to stand up to? E.g. animal rights, plastic in oceans, Indigenous people's rights, climate change etc 

What strengths do you think you need to call on and use to make a stand for the issue you have highlighted?

Can you find out 3 more interesting facts about Mandela?

What do you think are Jacinda's top character strengths and why?

This is a plor-trait (playdough portrait) of Nelson Mandela...

What do you think are Jacinda's top character strengths and why?

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