The Stand-Up Project Partners with Monash University to Strengthen Program Evaluation
The Stand-Up Project is proud to be partnering with Monash University on further independent evaluation of our program outcomes.
This research partnership marks an important step in strengthening the evidence base behind The Stand-Up Project and ensuring the program continues to grow in ways that are informed by research, school experience and student voice.
The project, titled The Stand Up Project Program Evaluation, is being conducted through Monash University’s School of Educational Psychology & Counselling. The research team includes Sophie Lea, Primary Chief Investigator, and Nerelie Freeman, Associate Investigator.
The Stand-Up Project is a student leadership and empowerment program that aims to reduce bullying and discrimination through student upstander training. Through the program, students are supported to understand bullying, recognise the role of bystanders, practise safe Upstander strategies, and lead positive change within their school communities.
As part of this evaluation, Monash University will support The Stand-Up Project to examine the future development and effectiveness of the program. This work will help us better understand the impact of student-led bullying prevention and identify ways to continue improving the program for schools, students, families and teachers.
A key part of this work has involved exploring research scales that measure student empowerment. What we have found is that there are very few tools designed to meaningfully capture student voice, agency and leadership in this context.
For us, this matters.
The Stand-Up Project is built on the belief that students should not simply be passive recipients of wellbeing programs. They should be active contributors to school culture. They should have opportunities to lead, influence their peers, share their perspectives with adults, and help shape the communities they are part of.
However, measuring this kind of student empowerment is complex. It is not only about whether students know what bullying is, or whether they can name an Upstander strategy. It is also about whether they feel they have a voice, whether they believe they can make a difference, and whether they are supported to take meaningful action in their school community.
That is why, through this partnership, we are hoping to contribute to the broader field by developing a measure that better captures student voice, agency and leadership within bullying prevention and school culture work.
This research project is currently active and is scheduled to run from 1 June 2025 to 1 July 2027.
We are excited about what this partnership will make possible, both for The Stand-Up Project and for the schools we work with.
A big thank you to Dr Jo Gleeson from Monash University’s School of Educational Psychology & Counselling, Sophie Lea, Nerelie Freeman, and Suzanne from Peninsula Grammar, who are helping lead and support this important initiative.
