We are excited to bring you a virtual jam-packed day full of boarding specific presentations from industry experts focusing on making boarders’ lives better.
All sessions will be recorded and made available to staff who have registered to attend. We look forward to seeing many of you online!
Individual Registration: $200 incl. GST per person
View the program here.
New Emerging Practices in Boarding
Thomas Dunsmore, Director of Residential Community & Certification, Torres Strait Kaziw Meta
Tom Dunsmore works for the Australian Boarding Schools Association and has done so for over 11 years listening to and discussing many of the trends and issues facing the industry. Tom has recently taken on a project in a unique boarding setting to build upon the strengths of the Torres Strait Kaziw Meta program with the aim for the organisation to expand and become a well-known leader in the Indigenous Boarding space.
Tom will share his experience on policy development to meet and become certified against the AS 5725:2015 Boarding Standard for Australian Schools and Residences. In addition, the presentation will explore the importance of boarders’ voice in all decision-making, accountability and two-way respect. Tom will discuss the element of entitlement in boarders’ actions, how to navigate resistance to authority, the requirements of a more consultative approach with boarders and offer some personal anecdotes.
Summary:
- New Emerging Practices
- Navigating Resistance to Authority and Entitlement
- Embracing Boarders’ Voice
- Boarding in the Torres Straits
- Policy Development in line with the AS 5725:2015 Boarding Standard for Australian Schools and Residences
Build Trust, Beat Burnout, & Avoid Boarding Staff-Student Relational Traps
Brooklyn Raney is an educator, facilitator and author of One Trusted Adult: How to Build Strong Connections & Healthy Boundaries with Young People. She is currently the Founder and Lead Trainer of One Trusted Adult which is a company that offers research-based programs and professional development opportunities that teach the fundamentals needed to build strong connections and healthy boundaries with young people. Brooklyn was the Dean of Students at Kimball Union Academy which is a private boarding school located in New Hampshire in the U.S. for 8 years. This experience has provided Brooklyn with key knowledge to be able to assist in furthering the skills and education of boarder supervisors across the world.
In this session learn how to set healthy and appropriate boundaries that don’t put you in the position of pretend parent, faux friend, or make-shift mental health professional. Instead, learn to set expectations and routines that protect your role as a mentor and boarding professional, and set up a boarding climate that supports optimal development of youth and reinforces sustainable practices for you.
The Art of Active Listening and Understanding: Empathetic Responses to Emotional Disclosures
Dr. Christopher Thurber is a thought leader in positive youth development. He has dedicated his professional life to improving how caring adults teach and lead young people, as well as to enhancing the experience of adventurous youth who are spending time away from home.
A graduate of Harvard University and UCLA, Dr. Thurber has served as a psychologist and instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy since 1999. He and his wife, Simonida (an analytical chemist and musician who grew up in Belgrade, Serbia), are the proud parents of two boys—Danilo, b. 2002, and Sava, b. 2004. They live in New Hampshire, in the northeast United States.
Schools, camps, and companies on five continents have invited Dr. Thurber to deliver keynotes, contribute articles, and lead workshops for faculty, families, staff, and students. His award-winning preparatory book for new camper families, The Summer Camp Handbook, was recently translated into Mandarin to help launch the youth camp movement in China. His most recent book, The Unlikely Art of Parental Pressure: A Positive Approach to Pushing Your Child to Be Their Best Self, was described by The Atlantic Monthly as “a tour de force” and “the rare parenting book that respects both parents and children.” Dr. Thurber’s writing has won several awards, including a National Parenting Press Gold Award and a Golden Quill Award. He has appeared on the Today Show, CBS This Morning, Martha Stewart, CNN, Fox-Connecticut & Boston, Canada AM, Beijing 57, and NPR.
His research and musings on youth development and parenting have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and numerous magazines, such as Parents, Parenting, Men’s Fitness, Good Housekeeping, and Smart Money. Internationally, Dr. Thurber has been featured on Serbian, Canadian, and Chinese television, as well as in Boarding (United Kingdom), Lights Out (Australia), and numerous blogs where he has shared best practices for on education, mental health, and parenting.
Summary of session:
Professional educators work hard to cultivate trust with their students, and the more students trust the adult in their lives, the more they share. However, when students' disclosures are emotionally charged, it can stun us into silence. This practical workshop is designed for all boarding staff, teachers, and administrators who want to be better equipped to listen, understand, and respond compassionately to anything their students reveal. From revelations of past abuse and suicidal ideation to career aspirations and burgeoning romance, the tools you'll learn will help you support your students with greater confidence.
How do we make boarding houses a safer place for our kids?
Ruth Jones is a Be You National Clinical Advisor, a qualified social worker and has been working in various mental health fields for over 13 years. She has been working for headspace Schools & Communities in the Be You team since 2019 and is deeply astonished at the incredible commitment and dedication staff and educators have towards the children and young people they work with in their school communities. Ruth is passionate about reflective practice and working holistically with individuals to customise support needs.
Angela Sainsbury is currently a Be You Education Consultant and has worked in education for over twenty years. She enjoyed several years as a classroom teacher in catholic and public schools, before working as a Senior Education Officer for the Behaviour & Attendance Unit and Aboriginal Programs Unit in the NSW Department of Education. She worked as a ‘House Manager’ (House Mum) for Stage 5 boys at Knox Grammar School, and with Stage 6 girls at Abbotsleigh and loved that when working with young people no two days were ever the same. She has a passion for student wellbeing and is interested in strengthening student mental health through building relationships and connections and encouraging student voice.
Join the Be You Team from Headspace to discuss how we can support staff to implement strategies in helping foster safe boarding houses.
The session will cover:
- Share understandings of common issues faced by students and staff in the boarding house context.
- Explore the Be You Mental Health Continuum and how this can be used by boarding staff to support student wellbeing.
- Discuss self-regulation, transition strategies and connection building when supporting a range of cultural, social and developmental backgrounds.
- Develop an understanding of the NIP framework (Notice, Inquire, Provide).
- Discuss your context and processes for deepening connections with the school to enhance student outcomes.
- Explore Be You resources to support staff wellbeing.
Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders
Molly Warner is a Dietitian and a Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor and is currently working as a Research Dietitian at Bond University and on weekday mornings runs an online clinic called Satisfy Nutrition. She spends her time using medical nutrition therapy, intuitive eating counselling and motivation interviewing to improve her clients' relationship with food. Previously, Molly has worked as a Public Health Nutritionist in Kirakira in the Solomon Islands and as a My Health for Life Facilitator at the Gold Coast.
This presentation will address the growing prevalence of disordered eating behaviours and eating disorders in the boarding community. With the rise of "diet culture," it can be challenging for students, parents, and staff to understand what healthy eating truly entails. The presentation will discuss how to recognise and support boarders who struggle with body image concerns and disordered eating behaviours. You will be provided with practical tools and strategies to help you to assist boarders in fostering a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.
Beginning the Journey: How to Help Young Staff - Panel