Core Components 

Positive Action is a manualised, universal school- based, social and emotional learning programme aimed at children and young people between the ages of 4 and 15 years. It teaches children that they will feel good about themselves when they do positive actions. The programme works through the Thought-Actions-Feelings cycle in a positive way to promote a healthy sense of self and well-being. The programme is delivered as part of the school curriculum in 6 core units with a review of the principles learned throughout the year. These include:

• Unit 1 – Self Concept - The programme starts with helping students identify themselves and understand their Self-Concept. Students learn that self-concept means the way they think and feel about themselves, and that families and friends influence their self-concepts. 
• Unit 2 – Positive Actions for your body and mind - focuses on specific positive actions for physical health and positive actions for intellectual health.  
• Unit 3 – Managing yourself responsibly – children learn to manage their own resources: time, energy, possessions, money, talents, thoughts, actions, and feelings.
• Unit 4 – Treating others the way you like to be treated – the programme shifts from introspection to social interactions. Students learn and practice positive ways of dealing with others.
• Unit 5 – Telling yourself the truth - students practice telling themselves the truth, knowing themselves, not blaming others, admitting mistakes, not making excuses, and keeping their word.
• Unit 6 – Improving yourself continually - students learn how to set short-term and long-term goals, and how to make goal setting work. They are taught to believe in their potential, to have courage to try, to turn problems into opportunities, and to work steadily toward improvement.
• Unit 7 – Review - Reviews the principles learned throughout the year. 

The programme comes with a customised digital instruction manual for each year group between Kindergarten to Grade 8 (4- 15 yrs). There are 140, 15 to 20-minute, age -appropriate lessons which graduate learning through Kindergarten to Grade 6. Lessons are taught 4 days a week and use a variety of tools such as role play, games, puppets and stories. There are 70, 20- minute lessons for Grades 7 & 8.  Four Kits are available for High School Grades 9 through 12 that are interchangeable, containing 132 scripted, 15 to 20- minute lessons.

There are also 4 supplemental training kits for High School covering the subjects Substance Use Prevention, Bullying Prevention, Counselling, Family Involvement, Community Involvement and School Climate.

Fidelity 

Fidelity is measured using fidelity monitoring surveys. There is also a teacher survey to be completed at the end of unit 6. This includes answering questions about the time spent on each lesson and any modifications made to the delivery of the lesson.

The developers recommend recording changes in pupil’s attendance rates, and behaviour to measure success of the programme.

Modifiable Components 

The programme is available in Spanish and Dutch. It has been adapted for use in Native American schools. The programme is also implemented by the Police Athletic League in the US, where police officers engage with young people by playing sports and will teach a Positive Action before the game and discuss it after the game.

The programme has been running for 40 years, the programme materials are in a digital format to allow for continuous adaptation and updating of materials.