09/10/2026
It's 2026. With everything we know about how children learn, develop and thrive, why are young people still falling through the cracks?
We have decades of research into belonging, emotional regulation and learning. Yet we still rely heavily on attendance, behaviour and academic results to tell us when something is wrong.
By then, we may have missed the earliest signs.
This is deeply personal to me.
My brother and I were two of those children who fell through the cracks. I know firsthand that the consequences of not being seen or understood can last a lifetime.
It's why I started Life Skills GO nine years ago, after 15 years of delivering social emotional learning programs inside Australian Schools.
A child is so much more than an attendance percentage, behaviour record or academic result. And with the science, evidence and technology available today, we can do better.
A heartfelt thank you to Brett Henebery at The Educator for shining a light on the neuroscience of belonging and our upcoming national conference on 21 October.
We're bringing together leading neuroscientists, educators and school leaders, system leaders to explore how we move from reacting to problems to recognising early signals and taking meaningful early intervention, evidence-based action.
Because this isn't just about education. It's about our shared responsibility as adults to ensure every child is seen, safe, heard, connected, capable and has an equal opportunity to learn, regardless of background, identity, postcode or circumstance.
We have the evidence. Now we need the courage and collective commitment to change.
❤️ Join Dr Mark Williams OAM, Karen Robertson, Claudia Boumelhem, Stephanie Giles and Nikki Bonus on 21 October in Sydney or live online.
👉 Just a few days left to secure Early Bird pricing.
🎟️ Conference registration:Link in comments
đź“° Read Brett's article in The Educator: Link in comments
đź’¬ I'd love to hear your thoughts. What's one thing we need to stop, start or change to ensure fewer young people fall through the cracks?
