The HELP Virtual Expo Series continues with TWO informative, engaging and interactive virtual presentations. Please join us on April 27th and May 10th for virtual sessions that will both showcase the latest research related to child development and provide an opportunity to connect and explore what this research may mean for children and families across the province.
Experiences Under the Skin: Journey from Infancy to Adolescence
April 27, 2021
9:30-11:00am PST
How does the social environment affect kids’ health and well-being as they grow? How can society support optimal social environments for our children? Join the conversation on April 27th with invited speaker, Sara Austin, Founder and CEO of Children First Canada, and Social Exposome Cluster researchers Dr. Joelle LeMoult, Assistant Professor and Director of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Laboratory in the Department of Psychology, UBC, and Dr. Michael Kobor, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Social Epigenetics, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
As the Founder and CEO of Children First Canada and one of “Top 25 Women of Influence”, Sara Austin is leading a national movement to make Canada the best place in the world for kids to grow up. She will highlight the work of Children First Canada, and how they are building greater awareness among Canadians about the urgent needs of kids in our country. Children First Canada is mobilizing government and other key influencers to change the status quo. Sara Austin will highlight you how you can play a role in making Canada a world-leading country for kids.
Moving from ‘society to cell’, Dr. Joelle LeMoult and Dr. Michael Kobor will share the latest research related to the cognitive, emotional and biological responses to environmental factors in kids’ lives. Dr. LeMoult will share her work on psychological distress and resilience in pre-adolescence. Dr. Kobor will shed light on how nurturing and positive experiences can buffer adversity in the social environment through biological changes “under the skin."
Finally, Sara Austin, Dr. Joelle LeMoult and Dr. Michael Kobor will connect the research to practice with an engaging dialogue that centers on the question asked at our previous Expo events — How ambitious do we think we can be in reducing early childhood vulnerability?
Register! Experiences Under the Skin: Journey from Infancy to Adolescence
Promoting outdoor play in schools and communities: Moving from risk and barriers to opportunities and facilitators
May 10, 2021
11:30-1:00pm PST
Outdoor play promotes children’s healthy social and physical development, emotional wellbeing, self-confidence, risk management and provides opportunities for being physically active. However, free outdoor play in childhood has declined across past generations and been widely displaced by structured activities that take place indoors and tend to be sedentary. Concerns about risks involved in outdoor play have led many families to believe that children are safest indoors. Child care settings and schools can play a critical role in (re)-connecting children to the outdoors and to offer opportunities for outdoor play and outdoor learning for all children in society. Please join Megan Zeni, teacher, author, PhD Student, Faculty of Education, UBC, and Room to Play Consultant, Dr. Eva Oberle, Assistant Professor, HELP and SPPH, and Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, Scientist with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit, as they explore this disparity, sharing the latest research and information, including a new online educational tool to help early childhood educators learn about the importance of outdoor play for children in their centres’ and provided strategies for implementation.
Register! Promoting outdoor play in schools and communities