Child and Youth Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand

Te oranga o te tamaiti i Aotearoa

Monday 11 February 2019

Big news...Guest speakers will include Dr Jennifer Nichols of the FrameWorks Institute, Washington DC, USA

The Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy is ambitious, requiring transformative change across society. For the Strategy to be effective, everyone needs to be thinking and talking about wellbeing and taking action to prioritise the wellbeing of children and young people.

The goal of this course is to contribute to a major cultural shift in how our society views and values the wellbeing of our children and young people. We will be hearing from leaders in child wellbeing including the directors of the government’s Child Wellbeing Unit and the Child Poverty Reduction Unit, the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, and more. Join us to learn how you too can make a difference.

*** UPDATE Dec 2018 ****
We’re delighted to announce further additions to our teaching staff:
- Dr Jennifer Nichols of the FrameWorks Institute, Washington DC, USA has now been confirmed as a keynote speaker. Jenn will work with us on developing the culture shift that we want to see. Throughout the day she will be sharing FrameWorks’ extensive experience of using evidence-based communications strategies to build public will for social change.
- Professor Kuni Jenkins (Ngāti Porou) will be speaking to us about traditional Māori philosophy and practices around raising children, and how these practices can form the basis for a 21st century kaupapa of parenting.
- Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw from The Workshop will speak about findings from her communications research, and her experience of framing problems and solutions in the child wellbeing space.
- Wendy Billingsley, (Manager, Programme Marketing and Communications at the NZ Health Promotion Agency) will talk us through the practicalities of how a national campaign works

• Topics covered
• Style of course
• Who should attend?
• Draft timetable
• Teaching staff
• Course cost and registration

Topics covered

Over the course of the day we will:

1. Review current progress in child and youth wellbeing, including an update on the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, and agree on key ideas around which to centre a national conversation.
2. Examine societies where children’s wellbeing is or has been a high priority, particularly traditional Māori society, and consider how to embed these ways of thinking in today’s society.
3. Learn about techniques and approaches for communicating key ideas on child and youth wellbeing to a broader audience, and explore the potential for a national campaign.
4. Synthesise findings from the day into a collective plan of action for building and sustaining a national conversation about child and youth wellbeing.

Style of course

Symposium - Multi-speaker presentations and panel discussion in a lecture theatre setting, with active contribution from participants.

Who should attend?

This course is aimed at practitioners, policymakers, researchers, advocates - anyone who works with children and young people and is keen to learn how they can make a difference.

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Understand current progress and next steps for the Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, and the opportunities and implications for your work.
• Understand how Aotearoa New Zealand might take action to embed a culture of valuing our children and young people.
• Communicate effectively about child and youth wellbeing both at work and in your community using clear, non-technical language and avoiding common pitfalls, to contribute to a culture of valuing our children and young people.
• Contribute in your own way to a broader cultural shift around valuing the wellbeing of our children and young people.

Draft timetable

Teaching staff

• Dr Maree Brown – Director of the Child Wellbeing Unit, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Dr Kristie Carter – Director of the Child Poverty Unit, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Donna Provoost – Director of Strategy, Rights and Advice, Office of the Children’s Commissioner
• Carmen Timu-Parata (Ngati Kuhungunu) – NZ Breastfeeding Alliance, University of Otago, Wellington
• Amanda D’Souza – University of Otago, Wellington
• Amanda Kvalsvig - University of Otago, Wellington
• Dr Jennifer Nichols - FrameWorks Institute, Washington DC, USA
• Professor Kuni Jenkins (Ngāti Porou)
• Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw - The Workshop
• Wendy Billingsley - Manager, Programme Marketing and Communications at the NZ Health Promotion Agency
• Professor Jonathan Boston – School of Government, Victoria University Wellington

Course cost and registration

$300 early bird, $400 after 20 December 2018.

A 50% discount is available to full-time students, those unwaged and University of Otago staff.