“Over the course of the year, Aiden’s time in the classroom has increased and his teacher has noticed he doesn’t storm out of the classroom as often.”

We met Aiden* as a part of our first Logan cohort. He had faced the rejection from his primary care-giver, but it wasn’t rejection that happened once, it was continued with false promises. These strong feelings, lead to constant anger outbursts in school and included repeated suspensions. For his first two years of schooling, he was barely in the classroom, he was referred to Mimi’s House because he was at risk of dis-engagement.

“He has learnt to control some of his emotions, and I can prompt him to go from Red to green.”

Week in and week out, our team would work with Aiden. It took time, to gain his trust and confidence, but each week he would try a new activity and engage more with the program. He grew to love the staff and volunteers, often checking in on other days to see if they were around and would go in for a milo or to say hello to the team.

Over the course of the year, Aiden’s time in the classroom has increased and his teacher has noticed he doesn’t storm out of the classroom as often. “He has learnt to control some of his emotions, and I can prompt him to go from Red to green.” Said his teacher. This is a technique we use called ‘changing the channel’.

We all have an innate desire to feel safe and loved. There has been a lot written about the Maslows hierarchy of needs. Before self-esteem and self-actualisation we all need to have our physiological, safety, love and belonging needs met. Before children like Aiden can engage in a classroom, they need to feel safe, secure and connected. We are so proud of this young man and the team at Logan for a great first year. We are looking forward to watching more and more stories unfold.

*Name has been changed for to maintain confidentiality.