Festival of Teaching 2021

Karen Young 

Founder of ‘Hey Sigmund’

Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM

Aboriginal activist, educator and artist

Karen is now a sought-after speaker and consultant, working with schools, government bodies, parent groups, and child and adolescent focused organisations both in Australia and abroad to educate, build resources, implement procedures, and support the professional development of staff. Her areas of expertise particularly include child and adolescent anxiety, trauma, attachment, and neurodevelopment.

She is regularly invited to comment by Australian and international media, including ABC Radio, The Project, and Parenting Magazine New Zealand. Her recent projects include working with Plan International Australia to create resources for parents in response to the Australian bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karen is the founder of ‘Hey Sigmund’, an internationally popular online resource that attracts millions of readers each year. The website provides contemporary, research-driven resources to support the mental wellness of children and adolescents. She is the author of three books, including the international bestseller ‘Hey Warrior,’ which assist children to understand and manage anxiety. Her books have been translated into several languages and have sold more than 150,000 copies worldwide.

Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM is an Aboriginal elder from Nauiyu and a renowned artist, activist, writer and public speaker.

In 1975, Miriam-Rose became the Territory's first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher. As an art consultant for the Department of Education, she visited schools through the Top End, advocating for the inclusion of visual art as part of every child's education.

Through her professional and creative life, Miriam-Rose has remained dedicated to maintaining the cultural independence of her people and being a spokesperson for the Aboriginal worldview. In recognition of her leadership, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia medal and an Honorary PhD in Education from Charles Darwin University.

Miriam-Rose later became the principal of the Catholic school in her home community before being appointed to the Federal Government's advisory body, the National Indigenous Council. In 2013, she established the Miriam Rose Foundation, to bridge the divide between Aboriginal culture and mainstream society —driving reconciliation at a grassroots level.

Keynote address

Strengthening children and teens against anxiety

As much as school can be an environment which can nourish and grow all children, the very nature of anxiety means that school can also have plenty of anxiety triggers. Anxiety loves anything unfamiliar or any situation that comes with any potential for embarrassment, failure, humiliation, shame, or separation from a loved one – and school is ripe for all of them. Anxiety can significantly affect friendships, confidence, and school performance, but it doesn’t have to be this way. All children and teens need the right support to thrive, and even the smallest considerations can go a long way to helping children with anxiety find the very best version of themselves. This keynote presentation will provide participants with practical, powerful, proven ways to effectively respond to children with anxiety, as well as ways to capture the powerful buffering role school can play in strengthening all young people against anxiety at school and beyond. We will explore:

⦁ an explanation of anxiety that makes sense of symptoms and behaviours;
⦁ how anxiety interferes with behaviour, grades and performance;
⦁ the different ways anxiety can manifest at school;
⦁ how to manage difficult behaviours when anxiety is the fuel;
⦁ the relationship between anxiety and learning, and how to unlock a 'learning brain';
⦁ creating an environment that will encourage brave behaviour in all children;
⦁ how to respond to anxiety in the moment to make way for calm and courage;
⦁ the strategies that will strengthen all children against anxiety, and build confidence and courage at school and beyond;
⦁ how resilience happens in the brain, and the experiences that will build the solid neural foundations;
⦁ parents and teachers – a powerful team. What parents need to know, and how to have the conversation that will make a difference.

Keynote address

The power of Dadirri

Art and culture encourage strength in our kids, support strong identities and is an outlet for identity allowing kids to face challenges with a proud and strong sense of self. Miriam will talk about the four pillars, opportunity, education, art and culture and how the pillars work together to enrich a young person’s educational experience and their life.

Miriam will introduce us to Dadirri, deep listening, silent awareness and waiting. Miriam explains this is not just an aboriginal way but everyone can do this and everyone has the power to do this. Through the power of Dadirri you will have the opportunity to find yourself and your culture, because we all have culture, and to understand another’s is to understand your own first. This spiritual skill aims to ground your thoughts, understand your surroundings and be strong to assist your students to do the same.

Miriam knows how to walk in two worlds and teaches children to do the same. She has a unique education style infusing western ways with traditional aboriginal ways. Miriam believes that to change one young person’s life around is an achievement in itself and the key to the world is a strong identity and confidence to be yourself.