Let Me Take Care Of You

This week’s intro is brief. Someone who means the world to me has been going through a really tough time and–to be honest–all my energy is with them.

In times like these, we often say, “take care of yourself,” and it’s well-meaning, of course. And it’s true – we need to.

But sometimes words fail, and it’s less about saying the right thing and more about stepping in without being asked, showing up quietly with support that speaks for itself.

So today, I’m hearing a different message: “let me take care of you”. And the hardest job of all might be to just let go and receive that gift of care from others.

I’m grateful to be surrounded by the best people possible at MissingSchool. They embody the spirit of “let me take care of you” …

… doing the heavy lifting without hesitation — for kids, for families and schools, for the greater good, for each other, and for me.

I hope you have good people around you, too, and let them take care of you.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend. (Oh, and we’ve dropped a few things below.)

“People are yearning to be asked to use the full measure of their potential for something they care about” ~ Dan Pallotta

Empowering Young Minds

The latest in a series of publications, this new report from ARACY and UNICEF, uses the Australian Children’s Wellbeing Index to guide policymakers, service providers, and communities in setting priorities and taking action. It finds that, while progress has been made in providing universal education, disparities remain in educational outcomes, particularly for children from low socio-economic backgrounds, regional and remote areas, and First Nations communities. We’d add: children who are missing school. GO DEEPER

This Week In The News

Another day, another story. An ABC article this week revealed the economic cost of school suspensions and the disproportionate amount of short suspensions received by students with disability. Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion revealed that students with disability in Queensland lost 107,000 days of education a year due to suspensions. Parents of kids with disability collectively lost up to 76,000 days of work each year due to suspensions, costing $14.1million in lost income. READ MORE

Rethinking Charity

We love this TED talk by activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend — not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let’s change the way we think about changing the world. The conversation challenging charity models is getting interesting. This is positive given the government’s goal to double philanthropy! WATCH HERE

The NSW Audit Office is undertaking an audit to assess how well the Department of Education and NSW Education Standards Authority fulfil their responsibilities to support students to receive a quality education delivered through flexible ways and/or in alternative settings. If you have experiences or views on flexible education delivery/alternative education settings, you can share them with the Audit Office (anonymously, if you wish). Take a step to have your say by clicking on the link below. FIND OUT MORE

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and as we near the end of the month we acknowledge the significant amount of school missed by students with cancer as they navigate treatment and recovery. A shout out to the many amazing cancer organisations who support children and their families on their cancer journey, including Kids With Cancer Foundation. Check out our podcast episode with them, show your support and give them a follow! There’s more on their current campaign, below. CHECK IT OUT