A Parents view 2024
It can sometimes be difficult to put into words the difference someone or something has made to your world, yet watching my young man play and interact freely with his peers in the Kinda woods today, the difference itself is clear.
When he first came into the woods he was struggling – struggling with school, struggling with interactions with others, and struggling with overwhelming emotions. I remember in the early days, when he would create and hyper focus on solitary projects on the outskirts of the camp. This offered him safety and control in a world where he had very little. The team carefully met and held him where he was at and, as he began to trust them, he would start to seek them out for help and support in these projects.
Gradually the woods and the team there became a safe space for him where he was met and held each week with kindness, love and patience – no matter where he was emotionally. As the relationships grew he trusted them with his story, developed his communication with them and sought them out to advocate for him. I remember him being watchful of the other young people at kinda – watching how they interacted, how they were facilitated by the adults.
The tribe created is kind, respectful and fair. Despite communication difficulties, his confidentiality gradually grew to starting to interact with other tribe members alongside a trusted adult. Knowing he has adults that had not only taken the time to understand his communication but also the time and patience to calmly support interactions and make sure he was heard and facilitate any challenges, gave him that safety net to make meaningful connections with other tribe members.
Seeing your child or young person struggling is difficult. It can fill you with worries. Worries for right now and worries for the future. Seeing the work that Kinda does and seeing the results – him operating as an equal and valued tribe member, playing freely and communicating independently with tribe members, you realise it is not only the young person who is benefiting but the child’s adults as well. They suddenly have people in their lives who see the potential in their child or young person, the potential that their adult may know is there but perhaps has become lost or challenging to see among the worries. In this way the care that Kinda provides then becomes not only for the child but the adults as well.
Kinda Elders in the woods 