2023 Conference Guide and Annual Report 

Our Conference Program was bursting at the seams with amazing content! We were thrilled to bring our delegates such a high calibre of speakers covered a range of relevant, engaging topics. 

Download the full Conference Guide and Annual Report.

Download the program overview.

Dr Helen Street

Dr Helen Street is an internationally acclaimed expert in supporting wellbeing, an educational consultant and an applied social psychologist. She is the founder of Positive Schools and Contextual Wellbeing, a consultant to schools worldwide, a best-selling author and an honorary fellow at The University of Western Australia.

Helen is known as a pioneer in the support of long-term learning engagement and wellbeing through whole school systemic change and development. Her first book 'Standing Without Shoes' includes a foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Her fourth book, ‘Contextual Wellbeing’ has become an international best-seller in education.

Helen co-founded Positive Schools with Neil Porter, including the highly respected Positive Schools conference series, Positive Schools Online and consultancy services supporting Contextual Wellbeing in schools.

Helen lives in Western Australia with Neil, their three daughters and their cavoodle, Barney. She will be releasing her fifth book, a reimagining of resilience, soon.

@drhelenstreet                 helenstreet.com               positiveschools.com

Helping your child thrive with Dr Helen Street

As parents we all want our children to thrive in life. We want them to experience wellbeing, to feel well and to do well – at home and at school.  But what does ‘doing and being well’ actually mean in terms of day-to-day life? Moreover, how can we best support our children in achieving these lofty aims?  

Certainly, the vast literature available on ‘successful parenting’, ‘school-based wellbeing initiatives’ and the ‘pursuit of happiness’ can leave the most determined of us confused and overwhelmed.

In this talk Helen will explore what it means to grow up successful and well in 2023. In so doing, she will introduce ideas and practical strategies to support a sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘learning engagement’ as core pillars of living well at home and learning well at school.  

When we understand how to help our children connect well to the contexts of their lives, we understand how best to help them experience lifelong wellbeing and success.  

Kendall Whyte

Kendall Whyte is the founder and CEO of Blue Tree Project, a mental health charity, making an impact across Australia. Starting as a grass-roots movement in regional Western Australia, Blue Tree Project has a mission to help spark difficult conversations and break down the stigma of mental health, by giving dead trees ‘a blue lease on life’.

The Blue Tree Project is inspired by the tragic loss of Kendall’s brother, Jayden, after taking his own life in November 2018. Jayden painted a tree blue on his family farm, in Mukinbudin Western Australia, after sneaking out one night with a friend. The blue tree that was once painted as a practical joke now holds a whole new meaning, and acts as a beacon of hope for those struggling. These visual reminders (blue trees) help us check-in with our mates, loved ones going through a hard time and even on ourselves. Some are in remote locations, others centrally located within metropolitan areas – all holding a different story, but sharing the same mission. Kendall works hard to bring people together to help create safer communities and spaces, she hopes to spread the paint and spread the message that ‘it’s ok to not be ok’.

With over 800+ trees painted across Australia and other parts of the world; it highlights the need for such a project during tough times. Within three years, the Blue Tree Project has become a powerful platform to; help promote and facilitate better understanding of mental health, provide free education seminars and community events, many within regional and rural areas. Helping reduce people’s experiences of stigma and discrimination whilst encouraging them to speak up when battling mental health concerns.

At a time when Kendall was grieving the loss of her brother, she put others first, believing no fear of judgment or outdated prejudice should stop someone seeking help.

Kendall Whyte aims to stay authentic and speaks openly to empower others to do the same. Her selflessness and compassion has inspired many people to speak up about mental health and to support the project. In hope, that together, we can help build many mentally healthy future generations.

Building a future worth living for

Kendall Whyte is the founder and CEO of Blue Tree Project, a grass-roots movement which has flourished into a charity making an impact across regional Australia. Blue Tree Project is a WA based mental health charity with a mission to help spark difficult conversations and encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns. They are doing this by giving trees a 'blue lease on life' and bringing people together to create safer spaces and places to talk about mental health. Within three years, the Blue Tree Project has become a powerful platform to; help promote and facilitate better understanding of mental health, provide free education seminars, and create engaging community events within regional parts of Australia. By bringing people together to help create safer communities, she hopes to spread the paint and spread the message that ‘it’s ok to not be ok’.