The podcast and its built-in comic book are used to help teach kindness in the classroom.
It has recently been accredited to be taught in schools as part of the PSHE curriculum – the first to have been so.
The REZ is a sci-fi adventure for Key Stage 2 told through a podcast, a comic book and a game-based website designed to provide young people with useful resources for their transition into teen years.
For schools and teachers, it’s a resource available to them that is slightly different when it comes to teaching kindness and resilience as part of PSHE. It’s also a fun, satirical, stand-alone sci-fi adventure series for parents and kids, but with the positive messages within it.
The REZ is the brainchild of multi-award-winning audio producer and University of Brighton senior lecturer, Lance Dann, and Prof Martin Spinelli, a best-selling author, award-winning radio producer, journalist and youth media expert who is also the UK’s first Professor of Podcasting at the University of Sussex.
They wanted to create something which would have a positive impact on the mental health of young people, even more timely when Covid-19 lockdowns triggered a mental health crisis for millions.
Both fathers, they were also concerned about how certain media messages might affect their own children and their mental wellbeing.
Written by an all-female team led by former comic laureate, Hannah Berry, The REZ is set in the distant future and features two teenage friends, Preen and Sav, who try to outsmart the wicked AI (JEF) that runs their world.
Sav, a geeky outcast, teams up with Preen, a one-time mega-influencer now trying to make good, when they start to wonder if they’re missing something from their seemingly perfect world: simple human kindness.
When Sav discovers a mobile phone in a pile of old technology, she realises she can use it to contact ‘Pastlings’– the children of the 2020s. Together, Sav and Preen find themselves reaching back to the kids of today for help building meaningful relationships.
The podcast is informed by research carried out by child psychologist Prof Rob Banerjee and his team at the University of Sussex. Rob, who is a world authority on kindness and mental health, is also dubbed the Professor of Kindness because of his work around mental wellbeing in children.
Since receiving PSHE accreditation, hundreds of schools have enquired about integrating the podcast into their lessons and more than 1500 comics have been distributed, with a second print run now planned in order to meet demand.
Prof Spinelli says: “The REZ captures the imagination of young people because of its dynamic storytelling, immersive characters and the fact it is a laugh out loud balm for today’s kids.
“We really focused on what children themselves wanted, carrying out lots of workshops within schools and allowing them to suggest characters and storylines.
“The result is a great vehicle to assist teachers in the sometimes-difficult task of discussing mental health, allowing them to address serious issues but in a fun and subtle way.”
The Anti-Bullying Alliance has also lent its support to The REZ. Martha Evans, Director of The Anti-Bulling Alliance, says: “Our research shows that unfortunately a significant proportion of children are frequently on the receiving end of bullying behaviours.
“Developing empathy and encouraging kindness can make a big difference when it comes to bullying, so resources that support teachers to bring this into their classroom are extremely valuable.”
You can find out about The REZ and accompanying teaching resources at jointherez.com
