Like, wish, wonder: Reflections on the Positive Education conference

Following the success of the 2019 Positive Education conference, Rātā Foundation hosted a Hui with group of attendees to get their views on the event.

Armed with post-it-notes, the attendees wrote down one thing they ‘liked’, one thing they ‘wished’ and one thing they ‘wondered’ about the conference.

Rātā Foundation’s responsive programmes team leader Courtenay Sheat said the chance to host a Hui, and hearing the feedback that came from it, was invaluable.

“It really gives us an insight into the needs arising in our local communities when it comes to teaching and learning about wellbeing,” she said.

The feedback from the hui, along with other evaluation methods, would allow PENZ convenor Dr Lucy Hone and her team to develop the conference to better fit the community’s needs.

She said the majority of people commended the broad range of speakers, and they came away from the conference with a sense of purpose and intent when it came to wellbeing in the classroom.

But keeping the conversation flowing would be another challenge to tackle.

“What we heard from people at the Hui was that they needed more resources and to establish connections with others so the conversation would be carried on once the conference wrapped up. They want to make sure they have the skills and support to take action in their workspace.”

Ms Sheat also said feedback noted the need to include more of a youth voice, more content that could be applied to the early childhood context, and ways to include parents or caregivers in wellbeing activities.

“We had some people working in early childhood who were working on their own wellbeing strategies, so I think there is a lot that can be shared between these different age groups.”

Ms Sheat said the Hui was a great success, and she looked forward to seeing how feedback might influence future conferences.