The NAWWAL Project: Support for EBSA
With the rise of Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), Anna—along with fellow Play Therapist Laura Wright—have established the NAWWAL Project. This is a support network for children and young people struggling to access mainstream education, helping them find peer connection, personal understanding, and the communication styles needed to access help and reasonable adjustments.
Each programme is designed for a small group (4-6) of children or young people who are similar ages and is tailored to their needs and interests. These groups start with individual home visits to build a relationship with the workers and then brings the group together for a programme delivered over 12-14 weeks.
The project’s name was inspired by Sambra, the escaped capybara who, after being moved to a new zoo, fled a new and unfamiliar environment. Soon after his escape, videos started to emerge of the young capybara sunning himself on riverbanks and jumping into the water whenever a safe retreat was called for.
Sambra helped us think about what school must be like for so many children and young people who find the school environment overwhelming and stressful; perhaps this is how Sambra felt when moved from his own safe place to somewhere new. Just like our children, maybe Sambra doesn’t feel "lost"—maybe he is just seeking a more sensory-soothing location where he can feel calm and free.
In fact, Sambra’s keepers have shared that their worry isn't for his safety, but for his connection to his mate currently waiting for him at the zoo. This, too, reminds us that our children and young people need connection with their peers. If the school environment currently makes this challenging, we hope to offer them the opportunity to find their "tribe" as part of the NAWWAL project.
