Jen Hammonds, Tewaiehu Savage and Sara Field attended uLearn during the October school break.  The theme of the conference was "Challenging Educational Inequity in Aotearoa. Kia tū kahikatea. Stand together, like kahikatea."  

We presented the Kōtui Ako VLN story about increasing  curriculum opportunities and learning capabilities.  The korero wove nicely into the conference theme and was well received.

A highlight was opening keynote Dave Letela.  What resonated from his korero was, that if you can you should.  'Never underestimate the power of helping one person... never underestimate the seeds that you are planting.' 

Over the next three days there was a mixture of workshops and speakers that contributed greatly to our professional growth. It was a valuable time to connect with people face to face.  The opportunity to interact and have discussion over the breaks and at the conference dinner enhanced the experience.  We were treated to performances from Tongan tamariki, Che Fu, Dust Palace and Papakura High Schools Kapahaka group.

Overall uLearn 2023 was an enriching experience.