Keynotes 2018
David Key, Truro, United Kingdom
Consultant, transformational change educator
Dave is a consultant and educator specialising in the design and facilitation of transformational change programmes. His purpose is to help create deep and enduring organisational and social change towards a sustainable future.
Dave's background is in psychology, ecology and outdoor education. His special interest is in the ways experiences of nature can be powerfully transformative toward pro-environmental behaviour.
Over the last 20 years Dave has worked with a diversity of organisations and individuals. He has also taught, supervised and researched extensively in the academic sector and is a published author.
Dave holds an MSc (Dist.) in Human Ecology, is a Fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University. He sits on the editorial boards of several international journals. He is also an internationally qualified outdoor leader.
Dave is a joint New Zealand and British citizen currently based in the UK. He is moving back to New Zealand with his family and dog in 2018.
Keynote Presentation : An exploration of how to design and lead outdoor experiences that can change lives and compel people to live within nature's limits.
Dave will draw on over 20 years of professional practice and research to describe the five core design elements that he works with. He will explore the ways they interact to create transformative outdoor experiences through practical examples of his approach in action.
The presentation will touch on psychology, philosophy, ecology and education theory and practice. Some of the dangers and shadows that sometimes emerge when facilitating experiences that deliberately aim to change people will also be explored.
www.ecoself.net
Robin Grille, Avalon Beach, Australia
Psychologist and Parenting Educator
Robin's experiential, skills-based and informational parenting courses have helped many people to embrace parenting as a transformative, personal growth journey. Drawing from 28 years clinical experience and from leading-edge neuropsychological research, Robin's seminars and courses focus on healthy emotional development for children as well as parents; while building supportive, co-operative parenting communities. Born in Uruguay, South America, into a multicultural family, Robin feels a strong affinity for a broad span of cultures, across the universal human family. His articles on parenting and child development have been widely published and translated in Australia and around the world. Robin's books - Parenting for a Peaceful World and Heart-to-Heart Parenting (now in German, Cantonese and Korean) - have received international acclaim and led to speaking engagements around Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Canada and Indonesia. Robin's work is animated by his belief that humanity's future is largely dependent on the way we collectively relate to our children.
Keynote Presentation: "Empowering our children in a time of environmental threat"
We cannot shield our children from frightening news about the state of earth's ecology. But fear itself need not be the problem. The way we hold fear, the way we dialogue and the way we role model empowered action (we can all learn how!) can protect and empower our children to be confident agents and leaders in a scary time of transition.
We are living in a deeply unsettling historic moment of transition, in which a foundational paradigm shift is, for the first time, a survival imperative. There are times when news about climate change, plastic pollution and more can seem formidable, insurmountable, terrifying. It is not uncommon to feel helplessness and despair. How do we protect our children from overwhelm, without resorting to denial or sugar-coating? In times of fear, truth is an art. Empowerment and vision both come from connection, not from positivity. We can move from paralysis to exhilaration if we know how to connect; with each other, with our deepest self, with ecology.
www.our-emotional-health.com
Pennie Brownlee, Thames, New Zealand
Accomplished author and early childhood educator
Pennie's deep love and respect for the miraculous natural world has underpinned her five decades of teaching in the early childhood, primary and tertiary sectors. Self-employed, she offers day courses and residential courses for those who live and work alongside infants and children, with emphases on the Culture of Kindness, Earth Education and Fostering Creativity. She is the author of three well-loved guides for parents and teachers The Sacred Urge to Play, Magic Places and Dance with me in the Heart.
Keynote Presentation: "Balance and Lost Connections"
How shall we grow the next generation of kaitiaki, nature lovers and ecologists in a time when separate species and whole systems are losing their balance? How shall we support babies and children in their quest for the second Great Human Literacy - ecoliteracy?
www.penniebrownlee.weebly.com
Scott Duncan, Auckland, New Zealand
Head of Research, School of Sport and Recreation & Associate Director of the Human Potential Centre at AUT
Scott's work is based on the development and testing of new strategies to make kiwi kids active, healthy, and happy. He is currently involved with a number of school-based research projects, and enjoys speaking with teachers and parents about the challenges of promoting free play in a modern world. He is a father of three, husband of one, and sits on the Board of Trustees at Takapuna Primary School in Auckland.
Keynote Presentation: "The way kids used to play: Gone but not forgotten?"
How can we foster a free and adventurous play culture in New Zealand children? This presentation will comprise three parts. First, the concepts of free play and independent mobility will be clearly defined and the potential benefits described. Second, the current state of play in New Zealand will be discussed using nationwide surveys, urban design and mobility data, and recent case studies. Third, interactive conversation around the risks and benefits of fostering a free play culture in New Zealand will be facilitated. The overall purpose of this presentation is to challenge our current way of thinking and to encourage reflection and debate about the potential role of free, outdoor play in New Zealand society.
www.humanpotentialcentre.aut.ac.nz