About Courage to Care
Courage to Care Victoria is an independent not-for-profit organisation that has been delivering educational programs in schools for more than 30 years. It was founded in 1992 as an initiative of B’nai B’rith, the world’s oldest Jewish service organisation, and operates independently today as a separate legal entity with its own governance and educational mission. Programs are centred around the concept of creating a generation of Upstanders – ordinary people with the courage and skills to safely stand up against discrimination in all its forms.
No. While Courage to Care was founded by members of the Jewish community, our mission is universal: to educate young people to recognise and challenge discrimination in all its forms. We are not an advocacy organisation and do not promote political viewpoints or agendas. Our programs are focused on education, student wellbeing, and building inclusive communities.
No. We deliberately avoid discussion of contemporary political conflicts. Our facilitators are trained to keep discussions focused on the educational objectives of the program. Introducing live political debate would shift focus away from our learning objectives and risks moving sessions toward division and potentially traumatic content — which would not be in line with our trauma-informed practice, based on student safety and wellbeing. This approach also helps ensure all students can participate respectfully and safely, regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.
Our Upstander Programs are delivered by trained and passionate volunteer facilitators.
We are proud to offer our Upstander education programs to schools across Victoria free of charge.
We offer Upstander Programs at no cost, with no obligation or expectation for schools to donate. This ensures all students can access these important messages, even when school budgets are tight. While our volunteers generously donate their time, there are costs involved in delivering our programs. Where possible, we ask schools to support our volunteers by providing lunch on the day; however, we fully understand this is not always feasible. Any financial contribution a school can offer is warmly welcomed but entirely optional. All contributions, large or small, are greatly appreciated and help us to plan and continue delivering impactful programs. Please email operations.manager@couragetocare.org.au to learn more.
Programs are delivered to government, Catholic and independent schools across Victoria, in metropolitan, regional and rural communities. This ensures equity of access regardless of a school’s location or resources.
We have also partnered with cool.org to create 12 online lesson plans, free to access at cool.org/courage-to-care-upstander-education-resources.
Our programs have been delivered to more than 200,000 Victorian students over the past three decades.
About Our Upstander Programs
An Upstander is someone who chooses to act when they witness discrimination or hatred, rather than remaining a bystander. The purpose of every Courage to Care workshop is to empower young people to recognise prejudice, challenge discrimination, and take safe, positive action when they see injustice — whether that injustice targets someone because of their religion, race, ethnicity, gender or background.
We use the Holocaust as an example of how hate can escalate, but we are not a Holocaust history program. Our program is anti-discrimination and Upstander education, with behavioural learning objectives: helping students recognise discrimination and act safely when they witness it, in their own lives and communities, today.
If you would like to participate in a Holocaust Education program, reach out to the Melbourne Holocaust Museum at mhm.org.au/learning-programs.
The Holocaust is one of the most extensively documented examples of the systematic mass murder of people based on their religion and identity, with rich documentation of life before, during and after it. This makes it a powerful, reliable case study for helping students understand how discrimination and hatred can escalate — and how ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference by choosing to stand up against it. Historical distance allows students to explore these concepts safely while drawing lessons that remain relevant today.
The Pyramid of Hate is a pedagogical framework used to help students understand how harmful attitudes and behaviours can escalate — from stereotyping and prejudice, through discrimination and institutional discrimination, to genocide at its most extreme. For younger students (Middle Years), we use a modified, age-appropriate version of the framework, adapted for their developmental level, which omits the terms ‘violence’ and ‘genocide’.
We also reference other historical genocides, including Rwanda, Cambodia and Darfur, as examples where the pattern of escalation is similar — reinforcing that the Pyramid of Hate applies across contexts and that unchecked hatred can escalate anywhere.
Yes. Upstander Programs are curriculum-aligned across Health and Physical Education, Civics and Citizenship, Ethical, Personal and Social Capabilities, and Respectful Relationships, and support schools’ positive behaviour approaches.
While the Holocaust provides historical context for the program, the focus is not on graphic details or confronting imagery. Students are introduced to the historical context in an age-appropriate way, with an emphasis on understanding stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination, the choices people make as bystanders and Upstanders, and how these ideas connect to situations young people may encounter in their own lives. Survivor and custodian testimony are used to connect with human impact and develop empathy.
Courage to Care programs are suitable for upper primary and secondary students. While all programs focus on themes such as prejudice, discrimination, inclusion, and the importance of being an Upstander, the content is tailored to the age and developmental stage of participants.
Students are encouraged to think critically about the choices they make every day and discover how they can be Upstanders by speaking up, including others and taking positive action in a safe way. The program focuses on empowering students to understand that even small actions can make a meaningful difference.
Our programs are designed to be interactive, engaging and age-appropriate, encouraging students to actively participate, reflect and develop practical skills for creating more inclusive communities.
Middle Years Program (MYP) | Years 5–7
The Middle Years Program introduces students to the value of diversity and helps them understand how stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination can affect individuals and communities.
Through age-appropriate activities, group discussions, videos, storytelling and guided reflection, students explore how their own perspectives are shaped and learn to recognise unfair attitudes and behaviours.
Students are encouraged to think critically about the choices they make every day and discover how they can be Upstanders by speaking up, including others and taking positive action. The program focuses on empowering students to understand that even small actions can make a meaningful difference.
Secondary Years Program (SYP) | Years 8–12
The Secondary Years Program builds on these foundations and explores in greater depth how stereotyping and prejudice can escalate into hatred and discrimination. Through survivor testimony, videos, facilitated discussion, and collaborative learning activities, students gain insight into the Pyramid of Hate and how discrimination can become normalised if left unchallenged.
Students examine the consequences of bystander behaviour, explore the barriers that can prevent people from acting, and develop practical, safe and effective strategies for being Upstanders in their schools, communities and online environments.
Booking an Upstander Program
If you want to book an Upstander Program for your Year 5-7 students, please use this link for the Middle Years Program: Middle Years Program (MYP) – Courage to Care
If you want to book an Upstander Program Secondary Years for your Year 8-12 students, please use this link for the Secondary Years Program: Secondary Years Program (SYP) – Courage to Care
Schools are encouraged to book well in advance of their preferred dates because the Upstander Program calendar fills very quickly. We accept bookings 12-24 months in advance.
If a date is available on our availability calendar we require 6 weeks to plan an incursion.
We welcome enquiries from teachers, parents and carers. If you have any questions about the program, student participation, or Courage to Care’s work, please contact us at office@couragetocare.org.au or 9533 0955. You can also visit our Upstander page on our website to learn more about our programs, impact and educational approach. couragetocare.org.au/upstander-programs/
Program Impact
Teacher evaluations consistently demonstrate high levels of satisfaction and recommendation:
Funding and Independence
Approximately 50% of our funding comes from the Victorian Department of Education. The remainder is raised through fundraising and philanthropic donations, including support from a number of foundations and trusts. Courage to Care maintains full editorial independence from its funders.
Volunteering with Courage to Care
At Courage to Care, our volunteers are our lifeblood. With a passion for creating an inclusive society, our volunteers are the driving force, creating real change. If you would like to find out more about the volunteering roles we are currently recruiting for please contact our Volunteer Relationships Manager, Lisa Lewis (click through to email – Volunteer.manager@couragetocare.org.au) or click here (use link to Events page- https://couragetocare.org.au/events/) to book into a Volunteer Information Session which is the starting point for anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering.
We welcome volunteers of all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
Our volunteers are provided with upfront training by our full time Training Manager, along with extensive ongoing support throughout your volunteering journey.
We deliver school programs 5 days per week during the school term but it is up to the individual volunteer how many days of program delivery they wish to be involved with per term. Our designated Roster Coordinator will work with accredited volunteers each term to ensure that rostering preferences are taken into account fairly and equitably.
Volunteers need to be available during school hours.
