“Children learn from anything and everything they see. They learn wherever they are, not just in special learning places.”
– John Holt –
Who is HEWA?
Whether you’re an experienced home-educator looking for resources or a newbie wondering where to start, HEWA can help!
The HEWA committee are a small, but dedicated group of volunteers, sometimes assisted by our Home Ed Heroes. We are out to support the home education community of WA.
We are a non-party political and non-sectarian organisation that welcomes home-educating families of all backgrounds and educational approaches, from classical to natural learning!
In addition to supporting families, we also work to build connections and awareness within the wider community, to promote home education as a valuable and quality educational option and to advocate for home education rights and inclusion.
Our Purpose
HEWA is WA’s peak body for home-educating families. We provide quality information and resources, connecting opportunities and advocacy when needed for home-educating families.
We want all home-educating families to thrive and access the help and support that they need.
What we do
Workshops & Classes
We usually run our flagship workshops “Getting Started with Home Education” and “Understanding the WA Curriculum, Planning & Reporting” each term in-person or online. Find out more here.
We also run workshops on a range of other topics related to home education and we’re working on producing video workshops so you can access workshops any time – it’s a work in progress!
We also offer a program for home educated students called LEAP (Learn, Educate & Play). Find out more here.
Support
You are always welcome to get in touch with us by email (admin@hbln.org.au) and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
Members are welcome to email us to schedule a time to talk or to connect with a HEWA mentor.
We also provide support by offering a wealth of rich information and resources on our facebook sites, this website and our free app. We pride ourselves on providing reliable, accurate and quality home education information.
Advocacy
A big part of our mission is to advocate for home education rights and recognition as a valuable educational choice.
We meet regularly with the WA Education Department to voice concerns from the home education community and propose solutions to home education issues.
Many of the rights and flexibilities extended to home educators today are due to HEWA’s advocacy in the past! We also work to build connections with other community organisations and represent home education in the wider community.
Events
HEWA runs a range of events for home-educating families. Home-educated students don’t need to miss out on a school ball or sports carnival, and our events are inclusive, friendly and of course, lots of fun!
Other events we run from time to time include our Home Education Expo, Science Fair, Art Exhibition, Student Film Night, Careers Expo, Not-Back-to-School picnics and much more. To be notified of HEWA events, subscribe to our blog.
Insurance
HEWA offers insurance for home-educating parents who are members of HEWA and organising or running not-for-profit activities such as workshops, regular classes, incursions and excursions.
These days, many venues require hirers to hold public liability. If you’re a parent who wants to hire a venue for a group activity or you’re organising a regular class or meet-up, arranging insurance through HEWA means that you as the organiser are protected provided the insurance conditions set by our insurers are met. To find out more about insurance, click here.
Membership Benefits
HEWA receives no funding so every membership not only provides you with a range of benefits but also helps us offer more support services.
Membership is available at Affiliate, Full and Concession levels starting at just $30/year. Read more about our membership benefits here.
Not sure what level of membership you need? Start with an affiliate membership and upgrade when you’re ready. Joining HEWA helps us provide vital advocacy to keep our WA home ed community strong!
Don't want to join a committee but want to lend a hand?
Consider volunteering with HEWA! We have opportunities to suit anyone’s time and talents, from helping at events like the Teen Ball or Home Ed Sports Day, to tech assistance, mentoring and tasks you can do from home at night. Volunteers help grow a strong, supportive and vibrant home education community that benefits everyone! Could you be a HEWA volunteer hero?
The HEWA Committee
Chairperson
Liz Read
Coordinator
Sarah Hill
Member
Lianda Gibson
Member
Vacant
Treasurer
Vacant
Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t have an office and 15 staff but conduct our committee meetings from our homes so that we can wear our PJs, eat all the Tim-Tams and mute ourselves when we need to deal with the kids. We are a friendly group who value each other’s unique skills and ask that our committee members contribute only what they feel able to manage! Committee meetings are held monthly via teleconference. To see details of our next meeting, please log in to the member’s section.
