“The best education conference I’ve ever attended!”
URSTRONG celebrated 10 years devoted to childhood friendships by launching an education conference focused entirely on building connections in schools. The Friendship Summit, held at PLC Sydney, welcomed 150 educators, thought-leaders, speakers, and wellbeing practitioners from around Australia.
Practical, evidence-based strategies to strengthen relationships were shared throughout the day from experts including:
- David Bott, Institute of Positive Education
- Ash Buchanan, Benefit Mindset
- Mark Collard, Playmeo
- Leonie Abbott, Berry Street Education Model
- Dana Kerford, URSTRONG
The conference also featured a student panel, educator panel, and sports panel. The students shared their insights on relationships and what they wished their teachers knew about them. Educators shared stories and successes from their schools. The sports panel, which featured Layne Beachley (World Champion Surfer), Tom Harley (AFL legend and CEO of Sydney Swans), and Nick Hockley (CEO ICC T20 World Cup 2020) capped off the day.
In a reflection posted on URSTRONG’s Facebook Page by Founder, Dana Kerford, she stated:
The entire focus of our conference was relationships; building connections within our schools to support learning + wellbeing. The room was packed full of heart-centred educators who truly CARE about kids. You could feel the energy and the positive vibes flowing throughout the day…almost every single person I spoke to commented on the “happy buzz” (as someone called it) in the room.
We learned so much from all the speakers & panellists, who each brought a unique angle and flavor to the conversation. We played, laughed, teared up, and even sang along to “Sweet Caroline”. There was a string quartet, pianist, bagpipers, photobooth, door prizes, little lambs (true story!), famous faces…and on and on.
The whole day was magic. In reviewing the feedback forms this weekend, it means so much to us that 100% of attendees would recommend our conference to a friend. Wow.
Thank you to everyone who was involved and supported us! This is the beginning of something special…
~Dana & Michael
Don’t Miss Out on The Friendship Summit 2020
It was recently announced that the Friendship Summit will be rolled out again in 2020 in both Sydney and Melbourne!
As URSTRONG’s CEO stated in an email to this year’s delegates, expansion doesn’t necessarily mean bigger events. In the spirit of connection and building relationships, the Friendship Summit is committed to “walking the walk” and creating a unique, heart-centred experience that allows educators to network and form friendships in the field.
Register your interest in our 2020 conferences here: https://friendshipsummit.com/savemyspot2020/
