Over three days in October, 400 teachers, community members and world-leading positive education and wellbeing experts from across Australia and abroad gathered at Ravenswood to meet, learn, and hear from renowned educators, academics, practitioners, health experts, parenting and cyber safety experts, and psychologists at the 2022 PESA Australasian Wellbeing in Education Conference.
The vision of the Positive Education Schools Association (PESA) is to integrate the science of well-being and Positive Psychology into the education system so that all students, schools, and communities can flourish. The conference, held across campus at Ravenswood, centred on re-invigorating teachers and school leaders, re-engaging students, and re-shaping culture with Ravenswood Principal and PESA Chair Anne Johnstone opening the conference saying, ‘We are ready to re-connect, re-energise, re-imagine and re-shape worlds, emerging as we are from the greatest disruption to education in our lifetimes. We are ready to find ways to re-flourish together.’
This was the 7th PESA conference since the association’s creation ten years ago, and the first conference held in person in three years. Over 40 Ravenswood staff joined delegates with three Ravenswood Alumni Vivienne Yang (School Captain 2020), Lauren Robinson (School Captain 2021), and Imogen J Ryan (School Vice Captain 2021), joining Anne Johnstone in an inspiring panel on Positive Education through challenging times.
The conference showcased 15 keynote speakers, and delegates participated in 20 workshops, 6 masterclasses and 10 taster sessions, while 24 exhibitors showcased the latest in mindfulness and wellbeing tools, guides and activities for children and adults. Delegates were also invited to take part in 8 wellness-centred activities stations throughout the campus, including a PERMAH-Culture station, where they could plant their own potted herbs mix, and a wellbeing Polaroid stall for them to ‘focus on, and capture’ the moment.
Delegates also enjoyed meeting and learning from international speakers who flew to Sydney for the occasion, such as Kwok Jung Yan Gabrielle and Chan Yat Chi Gigi, from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who presented a workshop on the application of Positive Education in Early Childhood Classroom, as well as Lennon Rego and Scott Murphy, who introduced the Academic Wellbeing Curriculum they implemented at the Singapore Australian International School. New-Zealander guest-speakers Dr Lucy Hone and Dr Denise Quinlan, from the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience, also led a Masterclass on building our collective resilience, sharing lessons from schools who have coped well through the pandemic.
Dr. Kristy Goodwin, one of Australia's leading digital wellbeing and performance experts and the author of Raising Your Child in a Digital World, Professor Lea Waters, a world expert in parenting and School Psychology, and Dr. Justin Coulson, Australia’s parenting expert, were among the conference's passionate guest speakers who touched on positive education burning issues, such as helping students to thrive in the digital world, addressing parents’ confidence post-pandemic, building high-quality connections, applying Positive Education in early childhood classrooms, promoting students’ resilience and strengths, and more.
‘It was amazing to not only meet and connect with some amazing people but an opportunity to share our journey in improving the wellbeing of our young people, who are our future’, said Karen Wood, Principal at Movelle Primary School, in Victoria, and one of the many passionate keynote presenters at the conference.
‘Last week, my colleagues and I returned to our work feeling nourished, energised and hopeful. The positive emotional contagion effect is real.’, said Roz Rimes, (MAPP, MEd) Wellbeing Speaker, Canine-Assisted Educator and Coach, after attending the conference.
Kate Barbat, Head of Positive Education and Visible Wellbeing at Ravenswood, reflected saying, ‘The 2022 Australasian Wellbeing in Education Conference generated an uplifting impact on educators from all across the World, with attendees leaving feeling connected, inspired, empowered, and invigorated, with practical evidence-based strategies on how to embed Positive Education into our Schools, our organisations and our communities, to ultimately improve the wellbeing toolkits of our staff teams and our young people.'
