Friends! addresses the concerns of 11-12 year olds (Year 7), for whom friendships of all kinds are becoming more important. Making friends, sharing friends and discerning which friendships are positive and which negative all lead to questions on what it is to be a good friend, how to recognise one and how to apply sound values within the family, at school and in the community. While learning to understand group dynamics and what makes a leader, students also learn to recognise negative peer pressure and to resist behaviours such as smoking and the misuse of drugs.
Alice and Charlie’s responsibilities naturally increase as their social horizons broaden. Changing relationships with parents and family members are looked at and are found to answer the same values as those found in true friendship.