About Us
At The Difference Institute, we have found that many children struggle to reach their potential because they haven't yet developed some of the core "soft" skills required for academic success. As a result of consistently underachieving, they often lose confidence in their abilities and are less motivated to keep trying. This affects their interest in school work, resulting in a negative cycle which further erodes their confidence.
We believe that with compassion, kindness and gentle skill-building, children can become more enthusiastic, engaged and successful at school. Once children believe in themselves and their ability to achieve, a world of possibilities opens up to them.
Teachers and parents are key to this development and we aim to equip them with knowledge and skills to break the cycle and empower children to flourish.
Julia Daniels
Curious and creative, Julia is a seasoned teacher and education specialist with 13 years of experience in primary, secondary, higher education and NGO educational settings. She has a passion for disrupting the status quo and stimulating change to enable learning to take place and has a special interest in neurodiversity, self-esteem and trauma resilience. With her unwavering belief that everyone is good inside and that connection and courageous conversations are the way to creating sustainable change in our education system, she facilitates pockets of safety in educational spaces to allow learners, teachers and leaders to flourish.
Tamarin Carlson
Drama teacher extraordinaire, facilitator, improvisor and all-round lovely human, Tamarin has a warm and authentic way of relating to children and teachers alike. She is kind, courageous and embraces the complexities and nuances of the world.
Meryl Barends
Meryl makes light work of administration! A busy-bee mom to two boys, she has honed her efficiency to perfection and has a magical way of knowing what is needed, when it’s needed and getting it done!
Talia Forbes
A second-year Genetics major at UCT, Talia is passionate about making a difference in the world. In between assisting at workshops, she loves experimenting in the kitchen and has recently started a vegetable garden.
Kelvin Manley
Tech Guru. Jack-of-All-Trades and master of most! Kelvin has the uncanny ability to just figure things out. Tenacious and determined, he will build, break down, rebuild, fix, edit, change and amend until the goal is achieved.
