Frequently Asked Questions: The Listening Table in Schools

1. What exactly is The Listening Table?

The Listening Table is a structured, peer-led listening program that builds micro-communities of 12 students within your school. Students meet regularly around a portable Listening Mat printed with simple guidelines and practice genuine listening. No fixing, no judgement, no devices. It is not therapy or counselling. It is a belonging program that builds social cohesion, empathy, and connection. The same group of students meet across years of school, creating enduring relationships that become part of their school experience.

2. This sounds like more work for already time-poor teachers. Is it?

No. The Listening Table is peer-led. Year 12 students co-host in high school, Year 6 in primary. Teachers are not required to facilitate sessions. A Supervising Teacher provides oversight but does not run the group. TLP provides all training, materials, and ongoing support. The program is designed to embed a culture of listening without adding to the unsustainable workload teachers are already carrying.

3. What about student safety? What happens if a student discloses something serious?

Student safety is comprehensively addressed in our Risk Mitigation and Student Safety Policy (V5, April 2026), available to all partner schools. It includes a Traffic Light Protocol: Green (general sharing, no action), Orange (moderate sharing, teacher notified at session end), and Red (risk of harm, immediate teacher involvement and school critical incident plan activated). The policy aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, the Tasmanian Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023, and DECYP Guidelines for External Providers. All TLP personnel hold current RWVP cards.

4. Who is behind this program?

The Listening Projects is a registered Tasmanian charity founded by Ben Hughes, who also founded The Men's Table (290 groups nationally) and sits on the Board of the Mental Health Council of Tasmania. The TLP Advisory Board includes Emeritus Professor Dom Geraghty (former Pro-Vice Chancellor, UTAS), Professor David Adams (inaugural Tasmanian Social Inclusion Commissioner), Associate Professor David Smith (Charles Sturt University), and Lesley Cook (developmental evaluator, Partners in Practice, advisor to the National Mental Health Commission).

5. Is there evidence that this approach works?

Yes. The model draws from The Men's Table, where over 14.5 years, 71% of members felt less lonely, 93% felt heard and understood, and 79% became better listeners. It is supported by peer-reviewed research including Greenwood et al. (2024) on school belonging and mental health, Itzchakov and Kluger (2018) on the power of listening, and Brown (2025) on connected belonging in schools. The Scanlon Foundation's 2025 Mapping Social Cohesion report confirms that social cohesion is built through local, everyday connections in small groups.

6. How much does it cost?

The program is low cost and sustainable. Pricing is tailored to each school's context. Please contact Ben Hughes at benh@thelisteningprojects.org or 0424 99 33 66 to discuss.

7. How does this fit with what we're already doing in wellbeing?

The Listening Table sits alongside your existing pastoral care and counselling services. It strengthens your school's social fabric by building the peer connections that make your other programs more effective. Students who belong are more engaged, more resilient, more willing to seek help, and perform better academically. The program integrates with your existing framework and timetable. It does not compete for curriculum time.

8. What if students don't engage or take it seriously?

Because the same group meets regularly over an extended period, trust builds gradually. Initially sceptical students often become the most engaged once they experience being genuinely listened to. The peer-led model is critical: students respond differently when a Year 12 co-host leads the space compared to a teacher-run program. It feels less like school and more like something that belongs to them.

9. What does TLP actually provide to the school?

TLP provides everything needed: Listening Mats (durable, portable, professionally printed), co-host training for student leaders, Supervising Teacher training, the full Risk Mitigation and Student Safety Policy, baseline and follow-up wellbeing surveys, monthly in-person support visits for the first six months, weekly online check-ins in Month 1, a mid-point review, and a full 12-month evaluation report. The program is designed to be self-sustaining after the pilot year: student co-hosts carry the culture forward and the mats are built to last.

10. How do we get started?

Contact Ben Hughes to have a conversation about what The Listening Table could look like in your school. No obligation, no hard sell. Just a conversation about whether this is the right fit for your community.

Ben Hughes benh@thelisteningprojects.org 0424 99 33 66 www.thelisteningprojects.org

Be Heard. Be Understood. Belong.