Love Bites is a Respectful Relationships Education Program for young people aged 15-17 years. It consists of two interactive workshops: one on Relationship Violence, and one on Sex and Relationships, followed by creative workshops and community campaigns. Love Bites is a flexible model with options to use a full day or multi session delivery approach. The program emphasises the importance of a whole-of-school commitment to respectful relationship education.

Love Bites aims to provide young people with a safe environment to examine, discuss and explore respectful relationships. All Love Bites programming takes a strength-based approach and views young people as active participants who are able to make choices for themselves and their relationships when supported with information and opportunity for
skill development.

Love Bites education is focused on three critical areas for learning:

• Knowledge: youth-led collaborative learning
• Attitudes: critical thinking and decision-making and
• Behaviours: problem solving and communication skills

The overall aims of the programming are to equip young people with the knowledge needed to have respectful relationships, encourage and develop their skills in critical thinking and assist them in being able to problem solve and communicate effectively. When equipped in these areas, NAPCAN believes that young people can make the right choices for themselves and their relationships that are free from violence and abuse.

Love Bites Junior is a respectful relationships education program that focuses on the development of respectful relationships for 11-14 year olds.

It is a suite of 3 programs which evolved out of the success of Love Bites, a well-established respectful relationship education program designed for young people. Since Love Bites was initially implemented in 2003, community feedback from across Australia has consistently included the need for respectful relationship education programs for younger students.

The Love Bites Junior Program consists of 3 programs:

• #friends (Year 7) which covers themes such as communicating mindfully, warning signs of abusive behaviour, power in relationships, responding to concerns as bystanders, seeking help and rights and responsibilities in relation to sharing sexualised images
• Respectful Relationships, Bullying and Gender (Year 8) which covers themes such as respect in relationships, gender roles and stereotypes, gender and relationships, jealousy, sexual harassment and homophobia, challenging harassment, discrimination and gender stereotypes and seeking help
• Relationships, Love and Control (Year 9) which covers themes such as gender expectations and relationships, responding to jealous feelings, love and control, warning signs of a controlling/abusive relationship, supporting friends, seeking help and breaking up with respect.

Love Bites Junior’s 3 programs are designed to be delivered consecutively as the sessions are deliberately scaffolded to incrementally build young people’s skills.