Free We Grow has had some major shifts in the last few months, with a whole new group of children starting as well as changes in the make up of the holding (director) team.
We did a call out during the summer for new members to join the team. This is a voluntary role as a joint director of the company, working alongside other team members to keep Free We Grow thriving and shape its trajectory. The holding team functions similarly to the children’s circle using consent based decision making.
We were particularly keen to hear from new parents interested in joining us and hence were really pleased when Yasmin Poyntz, whose son joined FWG in September, expressed interest! This was especially exciting has Yasmin has been working on an inspiring families based project with similar values in South London and brings much passion and knowledge to the team! Yasmin has now officially joined the holding team and we share with you her own introduction to herself, below!!
The team has now settled, though we are likely to be looking for at least one new member to join in the coming months. If this demanding yet satisfying role interests you, please do get in touch!
For now, here’s Yasmin!
Hello! My name is Yasmin and my son has recently joined FWG this September 2022 as the youngest child in the group. I am the Founder and Director of a grass roots social enterprise in Catford called The Village London which is a support hub for parents, carers and their families in SE London.
We found out about FWG more than 3 years ago just after I had started to explore the idea of home ed – it was always our number one choice and we feel so very lucky that the stars aligned, lots of places opened up this year and Lennox got in!
It was a combination of a few strong themes that brought us to FWG & unschooling.
Firstly , pretty much from a few months old, it was evident our son preferred to be outside! I spent hours and hours most days walking the streets of SE London with him in his first 12 months as he was so much happier and calmer outdoors. I had always been quite an indoors person (especially in the cold), had to adapt pretty quickly and noticeably felt better myself from spending more time in nature. Secondly and very linked with the work I do now, I invested a lot of time and energy into my own healing journey around the time I become a parent. As part of this learned a fair bit about childhood development and some of the bits that really stuck out for me were around secure attachment, intrinsic motivation and gentle parenting. (Gabor Mate is one of my all time heroes!) Thirdly, I really did not get on well with mainstream education at all, I was not ‘academic’, was very often in trouble and I’m sure I would have been so much better dancing around or moving my body as much as possible.
I’ve tried not to let my own experiences of school overshadow what Lennox is exposed to (too much!). However I do truly believe that should children have access to space and opportunities to learn what is suited for them based on their own needs, desires and personalities coupled with respectful and trusting adults around them, they will get off to a much more emotionally healthy start earlier in life.
I’ve very recently joined the FWG holding team as a volunteer and am looking forward to being able to support the organisation in a few areas.
Parent liaison, which includes;
* Being impartial and a bridge between parents and holding team if needed by either party, helping with any communication challenges that may arise
* Supporting our community’s wellbeing
* Helping out with the friends and family secret facebook group
Outreach, which includes;
* Tapping into the home-ed community via various channels (FB, email groups, meeting other parents) to keep them updated with news from FWG that might be relevant to those communities
* Linking FWG up with any other third party organisations & projects that might be suitable for mutual collaboration
Fundraising circle, which includes;
* Working together with holding team members and parents to ensure FWG remains a financially sustainable and inclusive organisation
I’m so very honoured and excited to be here as part of the team and I look forward to getting to know everyone better over the coming weeks, months and years!