Courage to Care is unequivocally committed to educating and empowering students to stand against prejudice, antisemitism, racism and all forms of discrimination, without exception, grounded in the universal values of respect, empathy, fairness and active citizenship.
Courage to Care’s Upstander programs are designed to create a generation of Upstanders – ordinary people with the courage and skills to safely stand up and act when they witness discrimination or injustice.
We do this by guiding students through an interactive workshop exploring the ideas of prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping and racism, and how hate can escalate if left unchecked. We also use a powerful testimony by a Holocaust survivor speaker, or custodian of their story, as an educational case study of one of the most extensively documented examples of how discrimination and hatred can escalate, and how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference by choosing to stand up against it.
Courage to Care is not an advocacy organisation and does not promote political viewpoints or agendas. Our mission is grounded in universal values of respect, empathy, fairness and active citizenship. Our Upstander programs are designed to promote safe, practical action against racism, discrimination and prejudice in schools and communities, while supporting student wellbeing and helping to build a more inclusive society.
For more than three decades, Courage to Care has delivered Upstander Programs that educate students to recognise and stand up against racism and discrimination in all its forms. Drawing on this frontline experience, Courage to Care Australia Ltd has made a formal submission to the Commission. The summary below outlines our key findings and recommendations.

Guided by universal values and taking inspiration from real-life extraordinary acts of courage, our Upstander Programs inspire people to make a real difference in their community by standing up and taking action, creating real change.
Creating awareness of the dangers of discrimination, racism and prejudice
Educating to challenge attitudes and behaviours
Demonstrating that every individual can make a difference
Transforming Bystander Behaviour into Upstander Action