Theme 1: The Power of Social Capital
Building social capital to stimulate positive economic and social outcomes
Local government, learning providers, community organisations, businesses, volunteers, social enterprises and business incubators can activate partnerships and agreements between organisations to achieve positive economic and social outcomes for people through lifelong learning.
Dr. David McNulty
David Mc Nulty is currently of Chief Executive of Surrey County Council. He was appointed there in 2009 after Surrey, one of the biggest councils in the UK, was adjudged to be failing in key areas of its responsibilities. Surrey is now recognised as a high performing council. David was previously Chief Executive of Trafford where he took it from being rated as “poor” by the Audit Commission to “performing strongly” in two years.
David was a commissioner on the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into “Colleges and their Communities” U.K.
From 2003 to 2005 David was Executive Director for Education and Lifelong Learning at Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council. During his time there he helped transform Walsall from the worst council in England in 2002-2003 to a three-star authority in 2005.
David started his career as a teacher in Harrow and after working for many years in adult and community learning he set up an award-winning lifelong learning service at Blackburn and Darwen Council. His team at Blackburn become renowned for the creative way in which it worked with local communities.
Theme 2: Children – Our Beginning
Changing children’s developmental trajectory through learning
To become a society of lifelong learners where all citizens, have the best opportunities in life we must ensure all of our children have the best possible start. The conference will examine research and “best practice” examples that demonstrate and aspire to positive changes to children’s developmental trajectory through learning.
Dr. Sharon Goldfeld
Dr Sharon Goldfeld is a community paediatrician at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital; in Melbourne and a senior fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne.
She has a PhD in health services research and has been a recipient of the prestigious international Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy and the inaugural Aileen Plan Medal in Public Health research. Her research focuses on issues of policy interest such as the development of indicators and data to measure children’s outcomes and to evaluate health service delivery and utilization. She is National Director of the Australian Early Development Index program.
Dr Goldfeld was recently the principal medical advisor in the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and is a member of several national and State committees that focus on children’s issues.
Theme 3: Communicate to Learn
Role of social media, new technologies and online learning
If Australia is to be competitive globally and ware to give our citizens the best opportunity, individuals and organisations need to find creative ways to utilise social media, cutting edge software, communication technologies and online learning.
“Ms Megabyte” Yvonne Adele CSP
A Microsoft graduate with a couple of decades of corporate experience, Yvonne created the Ms Megabyte brand/persona in the mid 90′s. This led to a national media profile and best-selling book. She eventually left TV behind to concentrate solely on speaking and consulting.
Under the banner of her business: Ideas Culture : Yvonne has been delivering brainstorming methods and practical social media strategy to in-house teams and conference audiences for over 15 years.
Taking a dose of her own medicine, Yvonne used her brainstorming techniques to invent the world first www.IdeasWhileYouSleep.com – an overnight globally crowd sourced brainstorming service, delivering customers around 100 ideas to solve any business challenge within a day. How? She mobilised her workforce of over 500 virtual Ideas Agents in 8 countries using Twitter. Ideas While You Sleep has clients from 12 different countries. (visit www.ideasculture.com/contact.htm for all the press).
Yvonne is a social media commentator, speaker and panellist in addition to President of the Vic Chapter of the National Speakers Association of Australia and a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)