Day 2 of the conference was jam-packed with plenary sessions and a series of thought-provoking sessions exploring mental health and wellbeing initiatives, supporting students across the scholarship lifecycle and career development and employability.
Highlights Day 2
There was a touch of anticipation for the morning’s Keynote speaker, Dr Gemma Munro.
Dr Munro is an uplifting and award-winning speaker, facilitator and writer with a PhD in performance psychology and a knack for sparking rapid and easy change. She quickly had the audience’s attention, building a motivational platform for the audience as she coached us all on exploring a new way of working.
Throughout her presentation, she challenged the audience to “lean into discomfort” and engage the right side of the brain. This is crucial for shifting thought processes, perceptions and behaviours when approaching our work.
She left the audience with a clear roadmap to help facilitate change and had energised and motivated everyone for the rest of Day 2 (and beyond).
The International student panel, facilitated by Andres Villamizar, gave the audience valuable insights into the lives of KJ, Patricia and Alice, who are completing their studies in South Australia. Students spoke of the need for leadership within the international student community, support in unexpected circumstances and developing an understanding of the learning culture in Australia, which may be very different from the student’s home country.
The biggest takeaway for the audience was galvanising staff to provide support as “this can often come from unexpected places”.
The Panel Discussion “Hybrid approaches to delivering student services; opportunities and challenges.” The discussion allowed several stakeholders to unpack strategies and activities in the delivery of wellbeing information utilising traditional in-person engagement and digital tools.
Bronwyn Gilson, Vice President of ISANA spoke of the modification of their website, which now complements the international student journey. The improved website provides practitioners (and students) an easier way to find the information and support they need.
Joe Hernandez, the Commercial Lead for the nib Group, spoke about nib’s continued investment and commitment to providing their members with digital tools and services that complement the traditional support provided by institutions.
An example is nib’s recent launch of its AI-driven “Symptom Checker”, which its members can access 24/7 via the nib App and assists them in navigating the Australian healthcare system by directing them to targeted health services based on their needs.
The conference concluded with a closing session from conference conveners Shawna Hooton and Andres Villamizar, both remarked of the wonderful two days it was of sharing and learning of innovative ideas, student-centred approaches, and forward-thinking strategies for enhancing the international student experience. However, equally important was the ability to connect with (old and new) friends and colleagues during the conference, something we all needed after such a challenging 12 months.
The Koala thanks Chris Pitt for the story. Chris is the Principal and Founder, Visascape Pty Ltd.
