Hi there,

It really depends on the contents of the message, the context of the situation, and the relationship you have with this other person. Generally, there are a bunch of different reasons why they might not have replied. Maybe they don’t know what to say in response, don’t feel comfortable replying to the message, need more time to think about the answer, don’t have enough time to reply right now/forgot about the message.

We’re sorry that we can’t provide more than that but we’re sure that going with your gut feeling is probably the best.

If in doubt maybe wait a little bit and then message them again, or bring it up in person if you see them a lot.

Hey there,

Many Mac Rob students remain close with their friends from their previous school. The friendships will change because you won’t be seeing them everyday but you can still be part of that group in a slightly different way. You might find that you need to put in extra effort to maintain the friendship, but in the end it’s really worth it if you want to keep these relationships active. When you think about it, the great thing is that you get to develop two strong friendship groups and be a part of something more!

Mac Rob is not a hub for suicide. The school is very supportive of any student experiencing mental health issues or emotional distress. Both students and staff  work really hard to help and protect all members of our community. You don’t need to prepare yourself in this sense. Just come on in and join a school that will support you and provide you with exciting academic and extra-curricular experiences.

Hey,

Find the answer to the rest of this question here: http://friendsatmacrob.tumblr.com/post/174175490197/part-1-hi-fam-what-do-you-do-if-you-have-a-friend

Hi,

Your friend is probably doing this to help themselves and to make sure that they don’t get their feelings hurt. Although it is definitely hard because you both were close, It’s good that you are respecting their decision.

Also important to give that person time and space to think about their situation, and they’ll eventually come around. Heartbreak is something that people deal with in different ways and at different speeds.

Depending on how long it has been, maybe every so often start a conversation with them just to get a gauge on how they are feeling. If they are willing to, maybe they’ll want to talk about it or they might just be open to being friends again.

Good luck and hope everything works out!

Hey there!!

I’m not sure about other FAM members but I for one completely relate!!! I understand that sometimes it can be really hard to distinguish if you’d like to be friends, get into a relationship, or simply just admire and want to be like a girl (rare cases of all of the above haha). It’s taken me a few years to kind of grasp the differences between each so here are a few tips:

Think about what you would do in a friendship vs a relationship. Can you see yourself being intimate with her? Do you see yourself introducing her to friends/family as your girlfriend?

It’s common to confuse idolisation/sexualisation, but again, refer to the top dot point and see if you can picture yourself being friendly first, and then intimate. Remember that idolisation usually doesn’t

Hope this helps!

Hey there!

We wish you could tell you! But honestly, we’re not that sure either. The best thing you can do is get out there and not be afraid of trying new things where you can meet loads of different and new people. Attending events for LGBT+ people is a great way to expand your circle of friends whilst meeting new people. Hopefully you’ll be lucky enough to find someone who you’re interested in (and is available!). Here are a couple of different organisations that run events that FAM know of/recommend:

Minus18:

Though, it really depends on how you like to interact with with people, places like Minus18 events (https://www.minus18.org.au/ or just check their facebook page) might be your thing. Minus18 hold safe, inclusive events for people under 21 and are supported by government funding. They hold cheap/free events such as discos, speed-friendship days (like speed dating but for friends) and craft days/movie viewing days, etc. Though personally, I’m a bit of an introvert so they’re not really my thing. But, I know quite a few people who regularly attend them and enjoy them, it really depends how open you are to meeting new people.

The Rainbow Network:

The Rainbow Network has a bunch of different support and social groups for LBGT+ teens in a whole range of different areas around Melbourne, which sound like a good way to meet people and cater to a range of different interests. However,, no FAM members have actually been to them before, so we can’t really give any experience about what they are like (they sound good though). Here’s the link to all the different groups with general information about them, their location and meeting times: http://www.rainbownetwork.com.au/index.php/find-a-group.

Mac. Rob’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA)

It also might be worth your while going to the schools GSA which should probably start by the end of the term (you should hear something about it soon), as you may be able to find more places and events to meet people from there, or you might meet someone there (you never know).

Good luck! And we hope you find someone - don’t give up just yet!

Love,

Hi there,

Yes, it can be quite difficult to maintain a friendship with people of the opposite sex, but I reckon it’s not really simply because they aren’t of the same sex. It really depends, as generally many people are exposed to different environments, hence perhaps having different preferences, interests, and such, and different personalities, but I wouldn’t so much associate it because of sex. It could be also that us going to an all-girl’s school makes it a little more difficult to have opportunities to interact and communicate with people outside of our school (extra-curriculars, tutoring, volunteering, interest groups help with that), and also requiring more effort to maintain the friendship since we may not see them almost everyday like we do with our classmates. Furthermore, it is also due to the different experiences that we may encounter, which perhaps makes us unable to connect or relate to as much with other people, but I believe in general, it’s not really because they are of the opposite sex that makes sustaining a friendship more difficult to.  

Hopefully this helps,

Hi there

Don’t worry, when you go you can always meet people when you go there, it could be a great opportunity! There are plenty of other people going who are in the same situation as yourself and as long as you’re outward looking, and actively try to talk to people you can have a good time. We recommend you ask around in your different classes or friend groups to see if there’s anyone going that you might not have realised either. If after everything though you really, really don’t want to go, then you might want to consider selling your ticket to someone else instead.

Hopefully this helps!