What families are saying
We love to hear how Alithia's unique approach is helping the kids:
(Dec 2019)
"Alithia has really helped improve my child's emotional resilience, specially through the period of bushfires that we experienced. Having the space and skills to speak about it and then develop a plan of how to deal with the reality and anxiety of it was invaluable".
"What I like about Alithia is that there are constantly mentors who are able to help the kids navigate social skills, emotional regulation and the like. My son (he is level 2 asd for social communication) was expelled from school and whilst the anxiety from school went down his sense of isolation and loneliness really increased. Alithia has been incredible for him - in fact I could see him falling into a depression before we joined. It's a gentle supportive place to learn resilience and social skills".
"My son has made huge progress in his emotional resilience. He is learning to manage big emotions (positive ones like excitement, and negative ones like anxiety or frustration). He is learning great skills to problem-solve and negotiate with others, leading to more social resilience as well. He is making really beautiful connections with other kids and adults, which have helped him through some tough times this year."
"Very positive changes in my daughter who went from being by my side 24/7 and riddled with anxiety, to laughing and sharing and being confident enough to play with others without mum. Respectful mentors have helped them understand healthy adult relationships, so that they understand how to be kind and respectful in return. Social skills and community are our top reasons for returning to Alithia and I saw some clear behaviour changes that I can only attribute to attending Alithia"
"Alithia has help my child: learn they can do hard things, conflict resolution, maintaining friendships, discussing community issues like drought and bushfires, finding their place amongst diverse group of kids and mentors, respect for environment and different opinions."
"In November, our area was severely affected by fires that were made worse by the drought. The anxiety that the evacuation caused for my 6 year old was at a high level. She registered the experience as quite traumatic. Once it was safe to return to Alithia, the mentor gave space to the children to hear their experiences. They worked through the stresses that the entire community was feeling through writing poetry and drawing pictures about their experiences. After a day immersed in a therapeutic environment, my daughter returned feeling light and resilient. She had a renewed strength and happiness from being held so supportively together with her community and working through their stresses as a team. Alithia has empowered her with a sense of understanding and coping tools".
"Our 8 year old daughter was involved in two serious accidents in 2018 – one being a serious car accident, she also had a tree fall on top of her in a storm, where she was trapped. Not surprisingly our daughter suffers from major trauma, which unfortunately was not understood or adequately supported within the school system. As a result our daughter’s trauma was worsening and we made the decision to withdraw her from school. Our daughter has been treated with dignity and understanding at Alithia, and she has thrived in the supportive environment. Prior to attending Alithia my daughter was afraid to be outside a lot of the time and she had developed acute anxiety, which was spiralling out of control. She is now spending most of her days outside, knowing that if she needs to be inside or even go home her needs can be met. My partner and I are very grateful that Alithia is available as an option. Our children are both so much healthier as a result of attending Alithia".
"As parents, we value Alithia enormously because:
• We know the children are cared for with kindness, respect for their autonomy and as people, and with support for their ideas and growth
• The mentors are very observant of each child’s mood, challenges and initiatives
• There is a strong sense of community and shared good will in being part of this collective
• The community is inclusive of the full range of personalities and abilities – even when this is not always easy, familiar or convenient. Individual differences are accepted and personal growth is gently encouraged
• When issues arise, our experience has found open and respectful processes to resolve problems and work together, making sure needs are met for all
• Family members are welcome contributors in the Alithia space, which creates a rich learning context for the children. It is a far superior model to the traditional ‘one teacher per 25 children’ model of education that has not worked for our children in other settings
• We find the workshop style learning environment and democratic processes that are used at Alithia are great learning supports – setting goals as a group (while also being flexible); planning out the journey; learning about and sourcing both materials and expertise; putting in the hard yakka and finding ways to work together; sharing
knowledge and presenting the results of their labour are really empowering experiences that our children are benefitting from".
"It is because of Alithia that (my daughter) is developing a wonderful empowered sense of self. She is becoming more confident in enforcing her boundaries if people push or harm her. She can now negotiate conflict amazingly and is amazing at self-reflection. All of this because she sees other kids doing it and is in an environment where it is normal and acceptable. So, because of this, she is flourishing".
This is a small sample from families attending Alithia. We would like to thank all those who support the hub, so that we can continue making a difference in our rural low socio-economic area.
From the Blog
About Us
Alithia Learning runs a range of child-led programs designed for 5 to 12 year-olds. The defining characteristics of our programs are positive communication and freedom to learn.
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