Recently, Laura and I were on holidays with our kids for a few days around Sydney, and we had one of those realisations.
As we were driving around, we started noticing something.
We passed around 35 schools that we work with.
Some of those schools we know well. Others we may have only been in once or twice.
But it’s a great feeling to realise that across different towns, regions, and communities, there are places where our message has landed. Even when we’re not physically there, something of that work remains.
That’s the nature of education at its best — the ripple effect goes beyond the moment.
The World Young People Are Growing Up In
When you zoom out even further, it becomes clear why this work matters so much.
Young people today are surrounded by constant noise.
Negativity in the news
Pressure and comparison on social media
Messages in music and culture that don’t usually build them (or other people) up
It’s relentless.
And most of it isn’t helping them become more confident, more respectful, more resilient, or more self-aware.
Which is why the role educators play — and the environments you create — are so important.
Because in the middle of all that noise, you provide something different.
A Countercultural Opportunity
What we do in schools — whether it’s a full day workshop, a lesson, or impact session — is, in many ways, countercultural.
We ask kids to be present IRL (In Real Life), for more than 15 seconds. Not just on a screen, real life.
To reflect about a good message.
To think differently. To take responsibility.
To consider others and work together.
To smile or laugh without taking a photo of it and sharing.
To participate and have a go without worrying who is watching.
To be a positive influence.
To build personal and social skills that set them up to do life better.
And perhaps most importantly, we create space for them to engage with something positive — often for extended periods of time.
That’s no small thing.
In a world where attention spans are shrinking, having a group of students genuinely engaged in something meaningful for a day - or even an hour - is a privilege.
It’s also an opportunity.
The Numbers Behind the Work
In Term 1 this year, our team delivered:
207 workshops
Reaching around 18,000 students
Across a wide range of school communities
Those numbers are encouraging.
But more importantly, they represent something far more meaningful:
207 opportunities to influence a room
18,000 students who engaged with something positive for a good chunk of time
Thousands of moments where a different, positive message was heard
Moments where a student might have:
Thought differently about themselves
Considered their impact on others
Chosen a better response
Or were simply felt given the option to participate in a productive and positive way
What the Numbers Don’t Show
The real impact of education is rarely immediate or obvious.
You don’t always see the result in the room.
You don’t always get the feedback.
You don’t always know which message landed, or with whom.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
Often, the real impact shows up later:
In a decision a student makes
In how they treat someone else
In how they handle a challenge
In who they become over time
And that’s why the work matters.
A Privilege Worth Recognising
For those of us who get to work with young people regularly, it’s easy to normalise what we do.
But it’s worth pausing to recognise:
It is a privilege to have the attention of a room full of students.
It is a privilege to speak into their thinking, their behaviour, and their choices.
It is a privilege to contribute, even in a small way, to the culture of a school.
Not everyone gets that opportunity.
And when it’s done well, it can make a genuine difference.
In a Noisy World, Your Work Matters
In a world that is constantly pulling young people in one direction…
Educators have the opportunity to help pull them in a better one.
That doesn’t require perfection.
It doesn’t require having all the answers.
But it does require intention, consistency, and a belief that what you’re doing matters — even on the days when it doesn’t feel like it.
Because when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture… It does.