Cohort 1 · 2026 · Session 4 of 8 · Run sheet

Keeping Strong

Two hours. The minute-by-minute facilitator script for M7.

Date

Thursday 11 June 2026

Time

11:00–13:00

Venue

DKA, 475 South Stuart Hwy

Facilitators

Metia (lead) · Mandy (co-fac)

Session purpose · three things to land

Each participant names at least one thing they do in each of the four Keeping Strong domains - stay strong / relax / look after yourself / have fun - and gets their P6 booklet page started (written, drawn, or scribed).
People hear from peers and from Mandy about how other people stay strong in Central Australia - real, small, CA-recognisable answers, not textbook wellbeing.
People are invited - softly, not requirement-style - to bring culture and Country into their answers if it fits for them. Participant-led only; DAS does not author what cultural strength is (CRR-011).
Mandy holds visible space as a leader-with-lived-experience - she goes first at the icebreaker, models one example per quadrant, shares her own EXAMPLES answers, shares first at the share-back, and runs Appreciations at the close.

The unspoken fourth one: wellbeing-mapping, not wellbeing-teaching - DAS never tells anyone what staying strong should look like. That's the only one that matters in the long run.

This module maps each person's own wellbeing; it does not prescribe one. If everyone leaves with one real thing per box that's actually theirs, that's a win. A fully-filled sheet of copied examples is a loss. Empty boxes are OK - some people only have one thing per quadrant, and that's a real answer. The facilitator's job all session is to set up, model, listen and reflect - never to interpret, fix, or author.

Pre-session prep

Two days out

OwnerAlignment meeting

Walk through this run sheet with Metia + Mandy
Lock Mandy's four-quadrant examples (deck slide 7) - one of her own per quadrant, kept tight
Lock Mandy's EXAMPLES-sheet answers (deck slide 11) - 1-2 real-or-representative answers per quadrant, picked from the EXAMPLES lists or her own words
Lock Mandy's icebreaker example (small, real, brief) and her share-back answer - must be different from the icebreaker, fresh content
Decide who opens and who reads the Acknowledgement - CRR-001 wording still pending Lhere Artepe, read the agreed holding version, don't improvise
Re-read the CRR-011 handling note together: do not author cultural strength concepts; listen and reflect; the slide 9 line is 'That's yours.'
Confirm wrap-up roles - Mandy runs Appreciations (new going-out ritual this session)
Brief on participant flags from the S3 debrief - anyone having a hard week, anyone who flagged at the halfway check-in (Mandy gives lead the heads-up, not the details)
Confirm break length - 15 min standard, extend to 20 on a cold morning (it's June - cold-morning variant is the live one)

Day before · Wed 10 June

OwnerLukas + Metia

Print Keeping Strong worksheet (P6 blank, A3) x 12 + 5 spare
Print Keeping Strong EXAMPLES handout (A3, CA examples) x 12
Print per-session (traffic light) feedback forms x 12 + SW feedback forms x 6
Print topics tracker x 12 - tick Session 4 at the wrap
Pack pens, pencils, textas + large-grip pens for scribing-supported participants
Stock hot-drink supplies - tea, coffee, hot water from arrival (June-August cold-morning variant)
Print CA Leadership Story 8 (Tony and the footy team) - back pocket for a flat room; it's structured as a wellbeing-plan worked example
Charge laptop + projector + phones
Confirm caterer headcount
15-min huddle - last walk-through

Day of · Thu 11 June, 10:00 arrival

OwnerAll

Heaters on before participants arrive - cold June morning, watch for anyone who came from an uninsulated house
Set room - horseshoe facing wall; Group Agreement (from S1) on the wall
Lay out blank P6 worksheets + pens at each seat; hold EXAMPLES handouts back until slide 11
Tissues on the table - soft permission for emotional moments (slides 8-9 can move people)
Hot drinks ready from arrival; catering on for 12:00
Test AV + load S4 deck (16 slides, built from the M7 spec) - do not depend on cloud
30-min huddle Metia + Mandy - re-confirm Mandy's quadrant picks and the slide 9 'That's yours' line
Mandy at the door as people arrive - greets each person by name

Minute by minute

11:00–11:06 6 min Welcome back + AcknowledgementSession 4 of 8 · group knows each other - keep it short and warm Lead: Mandy or Metia opens (Mandy's choice) + agreed reader (Acknowledgement)
S4 deck slides 1–3 (cover, acknowledgement, welcome back)

Whoever opens (Mandy's call, locked at alignment): "Hi everyone, welcome back." Acknowledgement of Country - read aloud, slow, full. Don't paraphrase, don't improvise. CRR-001 wording is still PENDING Lhere Artepe - read the locked holding version. Deck slide 3 says 'Welcome back. Week 7.' - that's the NT module numbering. Say it our way: "Session 4. Past halfway." Name what's good this week; name anyone missing if known and OK to share. Bridge from S3: "Last session you looked at where you are now, and who's on your team. Today is about what keeps you strong - strong in your body, strong in your head, strong with the people around you." If the cohort flagged anything at the S3 halfway check-in ('too fast', 'more time on X'), tell them now what changed. That closes the loop we promised.

Watch: Anyone visibly flat or distressed on entry - quiet check-in. Cold morning: hot drinks straight into hands; soft check-in with anyone who looks like they've come from a cold house.

11:06–11:11 5 min Housekeeping + today's roadmapStandard block · NO dedicated housekeeping slide in this deck - run it verbally off slide 4 Lead: Metia
S4 deck slide 4 (What we'll do today)

Roadmap off slide 4 - six steps: icebreaker, what is Keeping Strong, your worksheet, break, share-back if you want to, wrap-up. Then the standard housekeeping run, verbal (the 16-slide M7 deck has no housekeeping slide - don't go hunting for one): - Toilets - point them out. - Assembly point - staff carpark, the green Emergency Assembly Point sign (confirmed by DKA at S3). Backup is the visitor's carpark. - Phones - silent please; step out if you need a call. - Photos - only if Photo OK ticked. They can change their mind any time. - Coloured cards - quick refresher: green = good, yellow = need a moment, red = need to stop. - Food - lunch around 12:00. ~5 minutes max. Don't drone.

Watch: Anyone looking lost at housekeeping - Mandy grounds it with her one-line yellow-card story. Keep the front of the session tight; the worksheet block is where the time should go.

11:11–11:21 10 min IcebreakerFrom M7 · one thing this week that made you feel good Lead: Mandy (goes first)
S4 deck slide 5 (Today's icebreaker)

Prompt: "Tell us one thing you did this week that made you feel good." Could be small. Could be a meal. Could be a walk. Could be talking to someone. Mandy goes first - models a small, real example. The model shape: "I had a cup of tea on the verandah on Sunday morning. That was a good moment." (Her actual pick locked at alignment.) Then around the circle. Pass is allowed - and don't double back to anyone who passed. Watch the clock - 10 minutes for 8 people is about a minute and a quarter each. If someone is mid-thought when time's up, let them finish.

Watch: Anyone whose 'good thing' hints at a hard week underneath - don't probe in the circle, note it for a soft check-in at the break.

11:21–11:48 27 min What is 'Keeping Strong'?From M7 · definition + four quadrants + CA realities + culture and Country Lead: Metia (Mandy adds one example per quadrant)
S4 deck slides 6–9

Slide 6 - the definition. Three short lines, read as written, don't add: "Looking after yourself. Looking after the people around you. Doing things that fill you up, not empty you out." Slide 7 - the four quadrants we'll think about: - Stay strong - body, energy, sleep - Relax - slow down, rest, quiet time - Look after yourself - food, doctor, mental health, country if it fits - Have fun - what gives you joy Note: 'country if it fits' is lowercase on the slide - deliberate. The participant decides if they mean the place they live or capital-C Country. Don't pre-resolve it for them (pending cultural review — CRR-005). Mandy shares one example of her own per quadrant - keep tight, don't take over (locked at alignment). Slide 8 - CA realities: the heat in summer can wear you out; distance from family or services can be hard; money pressures and family pressures are real; you don't have to do this alone. Acknowledge softly. NOT a problem-list - the frame is 'here are things that make staying strong harder, and that's normal, not your fault'. Do not dramatise. Mandy adds one sentence about something that makes staying strong harder for her - "In summer I get tired faster." - then move on. Slide 9 - critical handling. Read the slide as written: "Some people draw strength from culture, family, ceremony, language, Country. Some people don't, or do it differently. This is your worksheet. Fill it in your way." Then say: "I'm not going to tell you what your strength is. That's yours." and "If culture or Country is part of how you stay strong, write that down. If it's not, that's fine too." Do NOT add examples of 'what cultural strength looks like' - participants bring their own; the facilitator listens (pending cultural review — CRR-011).

Watch: Anyone who gets emotional on slide 8 or 9 - Mandy sits with them or steps outside with them if they want; Metia continues with the group. Soft check-in at the break, follow-up after the session. If the room is going flat, slide 8 can be cut to one line - one slide cut is fine, document why in the debrief.

11:48–12:00 12 min Activity intro + EXAMPLES walkthroughFrom M7 · worksheets out · first pass before lunch Lead: Metia (setup) · Mandy (shares her own answers)
S4 deck slides 10–14 (activity intro + one example quadrant per slide)

Slide 10 - the setup: booklet page 6, four boxes. Write, draw, or ask the co-fac to scribe - whichever works for you. You'll see some examples first. Slides 11–14 - one quadrant per slide, two simple examples each (simplified 2026-06-10; the printed EXAMPLES A3 carries the full set of four per quadrant - walk THAT aloud. These are the CA examples (Simpsons Gap walks, footy training, verandah tea, sitting with my dog, doctor at Congress, calling my sister, footy carnivals, Beanie Festival, a friend's place for a feed). The handout includes 'Going home for ceremony when I'm invited' - it appears once, framed as a personal choice not a prescription; read it as written, don't expand on it (pending cultural review — CRR-011). Mandy shares 1-2 of her own real-or-representative answers per quadrant while walking through: "This is what some other people might write. Mine would be different. Yours will be different too. I'd write: [her picks]." Make explicit: "These are examples. You don't have to copy them. Your answers can be totally different." Offer scribing: "If you'd rather tell me what you'd write, I'll write it for you. Or you can draw." Hand out the blank P6 worksheets - people can start before lunch; the proper work block is after.

Watch: Anyone treating the EXAMPLES sheet as a checklist to copy - repeat the 'yours can be totally different' line. Anyone frozen at a blank page - offer scribing early, quietly.

12:00–12:15 15 min Lunch + breakCatering on at 12:00 · 15 min standard - extend to 20 if the room is cold Lead: All
S4 deck slide 15 (Break)

Facilitators eat too - but this break has a job: both facilitators move around, not standing together. Talk to participants, especially the quieter ones. Watch for anyone who looked emotional during slide 8 or 9. Soft check-in: "How are you doing?" No agenda. Hot drinks topped up - it's a June morning. Worksheets stay at the seats; the second half is the work, nothing to reset.

Watch: Dietary flags per participant pack. If the room is genuinely cold, extend the break to 20 min and trim the share-back, not the worksheet time.

12:15–12:37 22 min Keeping Strong worksheet (the work)From M7 · P6 booklet page · the protected activity Lead: Both walk the room - Mandy offers scribing
S4 deck slide 14 (last examples slide stays on screen) - the FULL example set is the printed A3 Mandy walks

Participants finish their four boxes. Lead and co-fac walk the room - offer scribing to anyone who hasn't started, or who has 1-2 boxes empty. Don't push. Empty boxes are OK. Some people only have one thing per quadrant. That's a real answer. Participants who finish early may chat quietly or look at the EXAMPLES handout. Key questions and how to handle them: - "What if I don't do anything to stay strong?" -> "That's an answer. Write it. Or write what you'd like to start doing." Then privately, later: "Want to talk after the session about what's going on?" - flag for follow-up. - "Is [traditional / cultural thing] OK to write?" -> "Yes, if that's part of how you stay strong, write it." Do not interpret. Do not say 'yes that's important'. Do not say 'tell us about it'. The facilitator listens (pending cultural review — CRR-011). - "Can I write [thing that worries me]?" -> "Yes. This is your worksheet. You write what's true for you." Watch for safeguarding signals - follow DAS safeguarding procedure post-session if something raises a concern. - "Why don't you tell us what staying strong should look like?" -> Honest answer: "Because we don't know what's right for you. You do. We're here to support, not prescribe." Mandy may say it better in her own words.

Watch: If a worksheet surfaces a safeguarding concern - don't probe in front of the group; keep facing the person, not the worksheet; document securely in Trello after. Drawing / dictation / 'I'll finish at home' all fine - the booklet goes home with them.

12:37–12:46 9 min Share-backFrom M7 · optional · one thing from any box Lead: Mandy (shares first) + Metia
S4 deck slide 16 (Share if you want to)

"Share if you want to - one thing you wrote in any box. You can pass. This is not a test." Mandy shares one of her own answers first - different from her icebreaker, fresh content (locked at alignment). Around the circle, pass allowed. If someone passes, thank them and move on - don't double back. Thank each person specifically: "Thanks for sharing that, [name]." Don't comment with "great answer!" - affirm presence, not performance.

Watch: If someone shares cultural content - listen, reflect it back simply ("Thanks for sharing that with us"), don't interpret, don't expand, don't probe. Don't reuse what was said as content in future sessions. Note the moment for cultural review reflection (pending cultural review — CRR-011).

12:46–13:00 14 min Wrap-up + feedback + Appreciations + next weekFrom M7 · Appreciations is the new going-out ritual Lead: Metia (wrap) · Mandy (runs Appreciations)
S4 deck slides 17–18 (Before you go + next week)

1. "One thing on your worksheet you might do this week." Quick - plant the thought, don't force a round if time is short. 2. Feedback forms (per-session, Layer 1) - 5 minutes to fill in; Mandy scribes for anyone who wants. 3. Appreciations - Mandy runs it. She models with a real, specific Appreciation: "[Name] said something today that I'm going to think about all week - about [thing]." Then around the circle - one specific thing about someone in the room. Pass allowed. 4. Slide 18 - next week: "Next Thursday, 18 June. Session 5 - My Future and My Plans. Big dreams, goals across the parts of your life." 5. Mandy thanks each participant individually as they leave with their booklet. By name. Eye contact. Small. Real. This is the most important moment of the wrap-up.

Watch: Don't run over 13:00 - people have transport booked. If behind, drop the 'one thing you might do' round and protect Appreciations - it's the new ritual and the cohort will use it again. Everyone leaves with their P6 worksheet in their booklet folder.

Mandy's choices to lock at alignment

Choice	Options
Who opens + Acknowledgement reader	Mandy / Metia / both - read the agreed CRR-001 holding wording either way; Mandy's call per cohort agreement
Her icebreaker example	Small, real, brief - the 'cup of tea on the verandah' shape. Locked at alignment.
Her four-quadrant examples (slide 7)	One of her own per quadrant, kept tight - don't take over. Pick from the EXAMPLES lists or her own words. Locked at alignment.
Her EXAMPLES-sheet answers (slide 11)	1-2 real-or-representative answers per quadrant - script not pre-written, her own picks. Locked at alignment.
Her share-back answer (slide 13)	One of her own answers, DIFFERENT from the icebreaker - fresh content. Locked at alignment.
Her Appreciation model (slide 14)	One real, specific thing about a participant - picked on the day; the format ('[name] said [thing]') locked at alignment.
Script notes on paper	As Mandy prefers - per Co-Fac Handbook
If unwell mid-session (like S1)	Steps out - Metia + Lukas continue. Acknowledge briefly: 'Mandy's having a rest, back next week.' Don't make a thing of it. Metia picks up the share-back-first and Appreciations roles.

Participant flags · keep in your back pocket

Participant	Flag
Brandon Williams	Hard of hearing Hard of hearing. Quiet, communicates more when safe. Needs help with spelling and reading. Loves food — remind when enough is enough.
Hosea Crafter	Contact via Tony (carer) No personal phone. Primary contact is his carer Tony · 0400 365 551. Tony will transport him to and from each session.
Jordan Sumner (Jordy)	Nut allergy Needs 30 sec processing time before he answers — be patient. Two support workers attending. STRICT nut-free diet per dietician.
Keyanna Williams	24/7 oxygenKP Services pickup 24/7 oxygen. Fatigues easily — calm room, regular breaks, flexible pacing. Simple, repeated communication. Structured routine, limited choices, 1:1 support. KP Services transport · 0403 574 249.
Michael Wallace	Hard of hearing Hard of hearing. Needs reminders to focus and to eat.
Mona Teamay	Eligibility queryIDDSI 4 / IDDSI 3 AAC (Eye Gaze). Pureed food (IDDSI Level 4), moderately thick fluids (IDDSI Level 3). EOI ticked NO to intellectual/learning disability — confirm eligibility with David.
Petra Haines	KWS / Auslan + whiteboard Uses KWS and Auslan; adapts via writing and whiteboard, plus animated expression. Keep communication simple. Has a current behaviour support plan — request from Codie.

Anticipated tricky moments

Someone gets emotional on slide 8 (CA realities) or slide 9 (culture / Country) Pause. Mandy sits with them or steps outside if they want. Metia continues with the group; flag a brief group break if appropriate. After the session: lead follows up directly. Document in Trello. If it's a safeguarding issue, follow DAS procedures.

Participant brings cultural content the facilitator doesn't have authority to engage with Listen. Do not interpret. Do not expand. Reflect what they said back simply: 'Thanks for sharing that with us.' Document the moment for cultural review reflection (e.g. did slide 9's framing invite something the cohort wasn't ready for?). Do not reuse what was said as content in future sessions. Per CRR-011.

"What if I don't do anything to stay strong?" 'That's an answer. Write it. Or write what you'd like to start doing.' Then privately, during the break: 'Want to talk after the session about what's going on?' - flag for follow-up.

"I don't have any fun" (or similar low-mood) Acknowledge: 'Sometimes that's how it is.' Don't try to brainstorm fun for them in the room. Flag for follow-up - contact in the next 48 hours via whatever channel works (phone, support worker, drop-in).

Someone refuses to do the worksheet 'That's OK. You can sit with us and listen.' Don't apply pressure - some weeks people aren't ready to write. Flag for next-week follow-up: is something else going on?

"Why don't you tell us what staying strong should look like?" Honest answer: 'Because we don't know what's right for you. You do. We're here to support, not prescribe.' Mandy may say it better in her own words.

"Yoga and bowling weren't on the example sheet. Is that OK?" 'Yes - those weren't on the example sheet because the sheet is for Central Australia and yoga and bowling come up less here. But they're absolutely valid answers if they're what you do.'

Cohort goes flat / low energy Skip slide 8 if needed - one slide cut is fine, document why in the debrief. Pull CA Leadership Story 4 (Tony and the footy team - it's structured as a wellbeing-plan worked example, the link to Keeping Strong is intentional) and read 2-3 minutes of it. Then ask: 'What did this person do to stay strong?'

Someone shares something that surfaces a safeguarding concern Listen, acknowledge, don't probe in front of the group. Keep facing them, not the worksheet. After the session: lead facilitator follows DAS safeguarding procedure. Document in Trello securely.

Cold morning bites (June) Hot drinks at arrival, heaters on before participants arrive. Watch for participants who came from uninsulated houses - soft check-in. Extend the break to 20 min if the room is cold; trim the share-back, not the worksheet time. 'Bring a jumper' goes in the next follow-up SMS.

Tech failure (deck won't load) Plan B is paper. The worksheet + EXAMPLES handouts carry the session; read the slide 6-9 lines aloud from this run sheet - slide 9 wording exactly as written, no improvising. Don't lose 10 minutes troubleshooting.

End-of-session checklist

All present participants take their P6 worksheet home in their booklet folder - it's theirs, don't collect it
Per-session feedback forms collected; any RED faces flagged for follow-up within 24h
SW feedback forms collected from attending support workers (or photographed if going home with the SW)
Worksheets / EXAMPLES sheets restocked for next cohort; pens and textas packed away
Catering tidied; heating off (last out)
Trello updated: attendance · anyone who showed distress (note for follow-up) · anyone who shared cultural content (note for cultural review reflection - NOT for re-use) · rough activity completion rate (all 4 boxes vs partial)
Co-fac debrief (15 min, paid time): what worked, what didn't, anyone we need to follow up with, anything to change for this module next cohort - including whether slide 9's framing invited anything the cohort wasn't ready for (CRR-011 reflection)
Same-day SMS / email follow-up to participants per the follow-up template - include the 'one thing you might do this week' nudge
Anyone flagged ('I don't have any fun', refused the worksheet, emotional at slide 8/9) contacted within 48 hours via whatever channel works
CA Leadership Story 8 (Tony) earmarked for any low-energy follow-up call
Update each participant's tracker - attendance, flags, follow-up commitments

Adapted for Central Australia by DAS, in partnership with Inclusion NT under the PATH MOU 2025–26. Original curriculum © Inclusion NT.