October 2025
The original plan was straightforward: launch the Foundation Years course in September as the flagship offering, with the website supporting course promotion. Behind-the-scenes issues delayed that, so the course moved to January 2026. Then venue availability became uncertain. Meanwhile, something unexpected happened - the website content became the strength. Essays finding audiences, the "Changing People" series getting shared, people actually reading 2,500-word explorations of termite mounds and collective intelligence.
Sometimes difficulties create opportunities. The course delays forced a question: what if the plan is backwards? What if building substantial content first, establishing credibility through writing, and letting an audience develop organically makes more sense than rushing courses to meet arbitrary deadlines?
The new timeline: November workshop moves to March 2026. January Foundation Course moves to post-Easter 2026. The courses are ready. What's needed is time for potential participants to see tangible credibility - substantial content demonstrating genuine expertise worth their time and money. The venue uncertainty for January reinforced this thinking.
By March, the platform will have 40+ essays, completed Check-in Cards, an established Young Thinking section. That's when people can see what they're getting - not promotional promises, but demonstrated capability. The workshop becomes a genuine shop window for the course because there's something substantial behind it.
From 19 essays in September to 24+ now. About 14,000 words of new content each week. Each essay takes hours of formulation and authorship, drawing from twenty years of professional practice and from academic study. Working out why attachment theory matters in real family situations, or what termite colonies reveal about organisational behaviour, or how Columbo's approach teaches us something useful about solving problems.
A new approach to self-assessment that respects intelligence whilst acknowledging complexity. Unlike personality tests that fix you in categories, Check-in Cards help you notice your current adopted positions.
What are 'adopted positions'? Unconscious biased positions influencing behaviour and decisions - like giving yourself an extra squirt of ketchup in your burger for comfort before an important meeting. The Check-in Card is your pocket mirror for a quick self-check, spotting sauce smudges on your chin and cheeks, so you can be more your authentic, well-intentioned real self when it's most needed.
Not all insights emerge from academic research. The new Young Thinking section creates space for personal reflection, philosophical exploration, and the kind of thinking that doesn't fit neatly into evidence-based frameworks. The first essay examines our complex relationship with killing - from swatting flies to cultural taboos about death.
The popular "Living Emergence" essay received substantial enhancement this month - deeper exploration of collective intelligence from termite mounds to organisational behaviour, expanded discussion of distributed problem-solving, and clearer connections between natural systems and human institutions.
YoungFamilyLife has evolved into a comprehensive knowledge platform organised into seven sections:
October through February: just write. More essays on psychology, professional practice, family development. Complete the Check-in Cards collection. Develop the Young Thinking section. See where the platform goes when there's no deadline pressure.
March 2026: Workshop, when the venue situation is clearer and there's enough content to make it worthwhile.
Post-Easter 2026: Foundation Course, when the platform has demonstrated it's worth paying attention to.
Simple as that, really.
Any essay on the platform is ready to deliver as a workshop or in-person presentation for education and training purposes. If there's content that would benefit your team, organisation, or group, get in touch to discuss arrangements.
YoungFamilyLife presents evidence-based insights as springboards for your own thinking, not prescriptive solutions. We assume you're intelligent, capable of critical analysis, and the best judge of your own context. Our role is providing quality research and thoughtful exploration - your role is deciding what's relevant to your situation.
Visit youngfamilylife.com to explore the full Repositorium, discover Check-in Cards, read Young Thinking reflections, and engage with evidence-based content that respects your intelligence.
Browse previous platform updates
September 2025 - Changing People series completion
October 2025 - Current Update
Steve Young, YoungFamilyLife Ltd
20+ years translating family services experience into accessible insights