We’ve long advocated the need to focus more collective attention on the barriers to Wild Time rather than simply developing programmes that address the impact of a lack of it. You can read more about the barriers and their impact here.

An article published on Treehugger this week adds more flavour to the need for barrier breaking activations.

Tackling the causes of disconnection, not just the symptoms

This idea is at the heart of our work. Such complex societal barriers require a truly diverse, innovative, nimble and experimental response that gets deep into their heart by asking often uncomfortable questions and making real change, often at a personal level. As an organisation we can’t be formulaic or slow to adapt and we need to recognise the value of collective wisdom.

What life hacks can we all make?

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by complex problems, particularly deep-seated societal ones. One place to start could be our own lives, within our family, our school, our community and work. Rewilding childhood starts inside us all in the same way that the barriers exist in us all. We are the problem and the solution in one.

What can we all do in our own lives to become more aware of the barriers and potential for solutions?

• Does my own use of the car lead others to percieve that the roads are too busy for playing out? Could I walk or cycle more – even if that means compromising other aspects of my life?
• Am I too busy and too distracted to get enough Wild Time even for myself?  How can I buck the trends of the 24/7 always-on world and change that?
• Do I give enough creative freedom to my own wild things, allowing them to explore their own risk boundaries in an appropriate way?
• How do I respond on an everyday level to the social norms that lead to over-scheduling of children?
• How can I find balance with technologies that change quicker than we can adapt traditional rules and boundaries?

We want The Wild Network to be an active learning community so we’d love to hear more of your stories about the hacks you are making in your life, family and community. What works? What doesn’t? What do you need more of? How can our community help you?

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