A Day in the Life of Engaging Young People in Their Own Spaces

On arrival it is about letting the house breathe.  Settling into the moment together.  We are here because school currently feels impossible. My job in an EOTAS package is to make education feel safe, meaningful and doable again.

We begin with a check-in that does not look like a check-in. I ask about yesterday’s Minecraft build, or similar interest.  I notice the dog being clingy; the cat in my bag; the scrape on a knee; any slight thing that is different but that will be noticed.   I accept that “fine” means “please go gently.” With emotionally based school avoidance, the feelings about school can be so intense that attendance becomes unsafe for the young person’s nervous system. Pushing through rarely works; trust and small wins do. This isn’t permissiveness. It is evidence-informed practice. Safety. Choice. Collaboration. Those are not slogans. They are the conditions for progress.