In this conversation with Alicia Armstrong, we talk about Alicia’s business, including what it’s like to take the leap from being a teacher, working within the schooling system to starting her own business and what the challenges and the joys have been over the last 18 months.
There’s lots of nuggets of wisdom in here for both parents and carers who look after children and want to foster learning and time in nature as well as any women in business who are thinking of starting something who want to create change in their community and who have a grand vision.
You’ll hear us discuss:
- Alicia’s personal story from mainstream schooling to being an alternative educator
- The leap from being an employee to starting a business
- How Alicia has created sustainability in her business
- The Havens Big values on community and connection
- How alternative education is beneficial for teachers as well as students
- Why play is so important for children
- Challenges and lessons Alicia has learnt in starting and building her business
- Alicia’s BIG vision for The Haven
Kids connect through play, so they find others who are willing to play. Sometimes it's alongside them or with them in, a certain game they're playing or imaginative play. Kids find people who are on really similar interests or wavelengths when they play and people are drawn to them, this is how they learn.
MEET ALICIA ARMSTRONG
Alicia is an alternative educator who runs programs for children centred around connecting them to nature, to themselves and their community. Alicia creates spaces for children that fosters natural development and holds space for their emotions. The importance of play and creating relationships with families is deeply embedded into the work Alicia does at The Haven.
It's not necessarily that it's been hard to market or get our name out there. It's the sort of wavering of business that I think happens to everyone, my lesson has been to take the positives out of each. So when we're having a really big term full of numbers, then it's really nourishing financially and it's really amazing to see families get to know each other and participate in big groups. Then when our numbers are on the lower end, it's where we can be in there and create strong foundations and connections with families and kids and take away different things. But in the end, it's still all really beautiful.
