Just like the ever-changing weather, our feelings experience many elements; stormy and gloomy, sunny and bright, cold and dark, sometimes all at once! It’s fair to say that making sense of those feelings can become challenging, regardless of our age. But when you are a child, navigating through emotions and changes that are beyond your control when brains are not yet fully developed can be very overwhelming, contributing to a sense of isolation and anxiety.

Barham Public School is proud to be running the Seasons for Growth program, a program designed to help provide support to children and young people experiencing uncertainty, change and grief.

I caught up with Barham Public Schools Student Wellbeing Officer, Devon Wright to find out how the program was received and to see if we will see the program continuing in the future.

Can you please explain the Seasons for Growth program and how did Barham Public School become involved?

Sure. Seasons for Growth is a program that helps children and young people cope with big changes and losses in their lives. Subjects like death, family separation, and moving may be hard to talk about for some children. By using the four seasons as a metaphor, children can talk about their feelings and understand how they can change over time, like the seasons. The program uses lots of creative activities like drawing, journaling, and even sculpting to express their feelings and learn ways to cope. It’s a supportive space where they can share their experiences and feel less alone.

We had been running this program in the background and noticed how well it was being received. We were witnessing how change and loss in the community can impact so many people, and when a generous donation from Barham Services Club was given to us it enabled us to run the program more widely.

How has the program been received by the children who participated?

We have already received some great feedback from both children and parents. One of the things we have noticed is that children often start building friendships with others who have been through similar experiences. This in turn helps them feel less alone and more supported. They enjoy catching up each week.

It can be challenging for children to articulate their feelings of loss and grief, what are some examples of activities that help them to overcome this?

A big part of what helps children open up in this program is the way it uses the seasons as a metaphor. Talking about feelings can be hard, but when they compare what they are going through to things like winter feeling cold and cloudy, or spring representing new beginnings, it gives them a way to describe their emotions. The hands-on activities that support this include journaling, drawing, making clay faces, and using masks. There was also a unique activity where children looked at the differences and changes between popped and unpopped popcorn. After the activity, they were more than willing to help me clear out the popped popcorn!

Do you envision the program being an ongoing addition within the school’s system?

Absolutely. I think it’s a great addition to our ever-growing toolkit of supports, and I can see it becoming a lasting part of what we offer at the school.

As the school’s Student Well-being Officer, have you noticed a shift in the need for this sort of support for students and if so why do you think that is?

There’s been a growing focus on mental health for some time now, and I think the school has been really proactive in that, well before I stepped into this role. Our small community has been through a lot together, including Covid, the floods, and other losses.

I still remember losing my grandfather when I was in primary school, it affected me deeply. At the time, there wasn’t support like this available, and I can really see the value in giving kids a safe space to process their feelings.

While our students have always had strong support around them, I see this program as another meaningful way to build on that. It gives children an extra space to talk and feel supported.

Here is some of the children’s feedback from their experience:

“I like this group because I can be with friends who have been through similar things.”

“Seasons for Growth is good because I can talk with people to get my feelings out.”

“It was good to make new friends and talk about similar stuff.”

“It was good because we all talked about the same things.”

Seasons for Growth is offered as 8 x 40 – 50 minute weekly sessions, and is based on Wordens four stages of grief (2009). Source: aifs.gov.au.

This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 14 August 2025.