Leeds Rhinos Foundation has teamed up with Amazon to launch a new initiative for schoolchildren in Leeds that aims to tackle some of the big issues impacting their lives today.
The new project, being rolled out in Primary Schools across Leeds, is designed to help children make positive choices to help their own mental health.
Concerns about the negative impact of social media on young people’s mental health and confidence and the growing issues around the exposure to harmful content and role models, has inspired Leeds Rhinos Foundation to create the six week ‘Respect with the Rhinos’ course to equip young children with knowledge and skills to deal with these challenges before they get to Secondary School.
The charity’s staff run weekly sessions with Year Six pupils, covering subjects such as extremism and positive masculinity, healthy lifestyles, social media and relationships and more. The aim is to help them navigate some of the most complex and pressing challenges associated with growing up in today’s society.
Brad Cox, Development Officer for Leeds Rhinos Foundation, who leads on the project said: “Young people are growing up in an increasingly fast-paced and often uncertain world where the importance of early intervention and positive guidance has never been greater.
“The Respect with the Rhinos project aims to provide a safe, supportive environment where pupils can explore difficult topics and develop the skills they need to make informed, positive choices.”
The hour-long sessions, involve small group sizes of 12–15 students, which ensure that each pupil has the opportunity to engage and ask questions; encouraging them to have open conversations, particularly those who may benefit most from additional support.
Bob Bowman, Chief Executive for Leeds Rhinos Foundation, who previously was a West Yorkshire Police Officer for 29 years and was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2014 after spearheading Leeds anti-knife crime initiative which won the International Crime Reduction award, believes the project will have positive outcomes for young people in Leeds.
“Growing up in 2026 is a very different world to the one many of us experienced. Children now face very different challenges such as being exposed to harmful content online, the rise of knife crime and the influence of negative role models who can have a big impact on impressionable young people.
“I know through my work in the Police, how important and effective, early prevention work is and I am proud we can work with our Partner Schools, with support from Amazon, to deliver this project. I know these can be tough subjects to cover with young people, but in a world where so much information and content is easily available with little protections it is vital that there are alternative voices to the ones they hear online which may glamourise crime or promote toxic masculinity. We must educate our young people about the dangers they face and give them the tools to understand and navigate these challenges.”
Josh Vause, Site Leader at Amazon in Leeds, added: “We’re proud to support Leeds Rhinos Foundation in delivering the Respect with the Rhinos programme. Early intervention like this can make a real difference to young people in our community. Our team is passionate about supporting initiatives that have a lasting impact on young people in our community.”