Why kids need to belong, and how we make that happen.

There's an African proverb that states:

“The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its' warmth.”

I think about this often.

We take kids who already feel like outsiders.

Those who look different, behave different, learn different. The ones in care. The ones who have fought to stay alive.

And we push them further out.

We punish. We isolate. We exclude.

These kids need quite the opposite. They need to feel the love of the village around them. They need to feel they belong. And to be reminded of this over and over, until the roots of that knowledge sit deep within them.

We create this sense of belonging by building connections.

By growing relationships.

By building trust. By creating those magical micro-moments. By turning up, over time, over and over. By advocating on their behalf when no other person will. By embracing them as a village.