"As principals, we see the same kinds of issues across our schools, and we wanted to inform families about the indicators of anxiety and where they might find help for their children."
Sisam said one purpose of the evening is to "show whānau that we are a united front in how we care and support our students and their whānau during this age and stage of our students' lives".
"We all work closely with the DHB, our public health nurses, social workers, and other outside agencies to provide resources for students and whānau. Keeping up with the changes that have occurred in technology and other social norms in the past ten years has been difficult, and our pre-teens and their whānau need support in how to face these challenges. This information evening is a chance to start that process."
On Tuesday, clinical psychologist Anita Johansen, and health educator and licensed psychotherapist Edmond Otis, both who have connections with the schools already, will be speaking. This will be followed by question time with the experts, as well as former Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills, the school principals, a representative from CAFS, and the Ministry of Education.
Wills said they've recognised for a long time that young people are exposed to a lot of messages in social media and media in general, particularly about how they should look and how they should be.
"Those idealised messages are often impossible for young people to achieve. The pressures on young people through advertising are quite different in 2018 to what their parents experienced a generation ago.
"When we talk to young people, they're really clear that they're bombarded with messages through all forms of media about how they should be and they find that really challenging."
He said this was evident in high rates of eating disorders and anxiety among young people.
"The purpose of the workshop is to meet that demand from parents and teachers to support the young people to have the tools to be able to cope with pressures, particularly media pressures," Wills said.
"We can't change the media environment but we can give them the tools to be able to cope."
Health Hawke's Bay health programmes manager Trish Freer echoed this, saying it was about empowering youth.
"They are faced with day-to-day life stresses and it is a way in which we can support parents to support their youth in being more resilient."
She said they would consider extending the event to other parts of the region, providing it is successful and they get positive feedback from those who attend.
"It is a really positive way in which we can support youth and children in their developing years, but also their parents too."
Ministry of Education deputy secretary of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said the resilience focus is in part response to feedback from schools about increased anxiety in students.
Rush said it is an important conversation to be had and although the evening's focus was on the intermediate age group, all parents and caregivers were welcome.
"It is really an exciting opportunity and honestly one of the first times that there has been really open and generous collaboration between all three intermediate schools."
Thriving through Change, Challenge and Stress is a free information evening for parents and caregivers on Tuesday, at the C3 Conference Centre, Southampton St, from 6.30pm to 8pm.
