Do you have what it takes to be “Outward Bound”?

Hazel Yu

Engineering Administration, Faculty of Engineering

Professional development? Personal development? Say no more. Outward Bound is an outdoor adventure course designed to push you to your limits and allow you to grow in many ways possible. It’s not just for the young ones, even the oldest OB course completer was 84 years old. Held in the Marlborough Sounds, this course has pushed over 70,000 New Zealanders and inspired them to know that “there is more in you” since 1962.

Outward Bound gives you the opportunity to unplug from the real world, explore the Marlborough Sounds through sailing and tramping and give you that opportunity of a lifetime to really hone in what matters to you and get to know yourself better. When you know yourself better, you’re more capable of achieving so much more than you’d think. Did I mention, you get some awesome delicious food as well even when you’re on those tramps.

With word of mouth being the only form of showcasing this amazing opportunity, I thought I’d do my bit to showcase my OB journey through pictures and a PowerPoint presentation as to why you should consider this course and convince your line manager that this is a course that shows real value to both your personal and professional development.

Growth is at the heart of Outward Bound and the lessons you learn stay with you for life!

Find Your Keys, Grow Your Mind

Anne Goodfellow

Arts Academic Services
University of Auckland /Waipapa Taumata Rau

I’d rather not share the number of times I’ve lost my keys, the cost of calling in the locksmith, or how much I trembled as I climbed to the top of a pretty high ladder and dove in through a pretty high window. But I will admit that I have a problem!

There’s a lot that I forget – at home and at work. I’d like to share what I’ve been doing about it.
To nurture others, we need to nurture ourselves. I’m going to tell you:

* What I’ve learned about memory
* How to remember better, at work and at play
* How to grow our brains

and
*Where my keys are now

How do you wash your hair?

Suzanne Acharya

Academic Engagement Advisor, Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries & Learning Services
Women of Colour Staff Network Lead

This is the most common question I am asked — in the supermarket, on the street, on campus, in the workplace — anywhere! Is that your real hair? Is that your natural hair colour? How long did it take to install? How much did it cost? How often do you have to get it done? Do you wash it though? (Slight nose crinkle accompanies the last question, most times.)

Is this just plain curiosity or is there something more sinister at work? If curiosity killed the cat, can it also harm the object of that curiosity? I’m sure the mouse would have something to say about it!

Instead of letting the “Woke” movement divide us, in this LLL you will learn how to take small actions — today — to make a big difference for your colleagues and yourself. You will learn:

• What allyship looks like in your personal work environment
• How to empower those around you to act
• How to create a safe space for those around you

Meaningful employment…one loaf at a time

Ana Djokovic

Human Resources, Waipapa Taumata Rau

As an employee at Waipapa Taumata Rau, you have a place you belong. Your job enables you to network, to build connections, to make new friends. It provides you the financial security to choose a place to live, to feed yourself and others. It affords you the chance to develop your skills and to build your career. In turn, you have security, safety, and the opportunity to grow.

Employment has a powerful influence on our lives, on our wellbeing, on our mana. Whilst it can (and forever will be) a struggle to get up on a Monday morning to go to work, it is more of a struggle not having anywhere to be when you absolutely want to work.

A powerful way to understand the impact of employment on our lives is to examine what can happen when it is lost, through no fault of our own. This talk will take you on the journey of the refugee students who are part of the Bread Collective programme, which is dedicated to supporting former refugees gain meaningful employment in Aotearoa through the art of baking. Through an examination of the Bread Collective, we will delve into the meaning of work, the influence it has on wellbeing, and how we support our students to rebuild as they start the next chapter of their lives.

Mentally Healthy Work

Angus Clark and Tracey McGall

Human Resources

He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Taumata Teitei

After a sustained period of pressure – terrorism, pandemic, severe weather, economic uncertainty – our people are exhausted!

One in four New Zealanders have experienced poor mental wellbeing.

The way people think and feel hugely impacts behaviour, productivity and safety. Yet we subconsciously pigeon-hole this to deal with (or ignore) it!

• Don’t bring your problems to work, even if working from home!
• He’s withdrawn; not part of the team – it’s a performance issue!
• Her behaviour wasn’t bullying or harassment so it’s ok!

If staff experience at work is poor or stressful, it can exacerbate or contribute to low mood, depression or mental illness.
Mental health is an important part of the working environment; WorkSafeNZ and others worldwide now refer to “Mentally Healthy Work”. When a business or organisation has committed to and is supporting Mentally Healthy Work, its people are more likely to grow and thrive.
In our LLL talk we will share key concepts to help us begin to understand the broader reach of Mentally Healthy Work:

• basic principles
• what “good” looks like
• barriers to achieving mentally healthy work
• challenges for organizational, cultural and behavioural change
• how this will help both our university and our people to Kai Tupu – Grow

Breakfast Choices and Teaching Horses: Lessons in Growth and Acceptance

Fight night! In corner one we have, “improve your life with these 17 things that all successful people do before 8am!” And in corner two, the challenger: “be yourself, and don’t let anyone tell you you’re not perfect!” Ready? Fight!

We are constantly bombarded with suggestions of how to grow, and simultaneously encouraged to accept ourselves. Is it just me, or do these feel majorly at odds?

I find that jumping enthusiastically onboard the growth train often starts out with determination and a drive to succeed and ends in discouragement and feeling burnt-out. On the other hand, self-acceptance without growth can leave me feeling stagnant and bored.

This can really impact the way I feel about my career development, but my personal life is at stake too! Where do I go from here?

At its heart, I think this is a question of whether we humans are fundamentally pushed through life by our beliefs or pulled through life by our desires.

This session will explore what it might look like to reframe belief-driven ‘shoulds’ into desire-driven ‘wants’ – and, along the way, I will share honestly some of the things that seem to work for me. I’ll talk about belief and desire as it relates to my breakfast choices, and about an amazing friend of mine who spends 90% of his time with horses, yet somehow manages to tell stories that remind me of what it means to be human – the good, the bad, and the accepted.

The stories we tell… Health Promotion as a story-driven field

Thibaut Bouttier-Esprit

Campus life – Student Wellbeing

The World Health Organization defines health promotion as the process of enabling individuals to improve and take control of their health. Although health has historically been defined as the absence of illness, the definition has evolved to encompass more than just physical and mental well-being. As a result, the field of health promotion has grown rapidly over time and is now considered to be a fundamental aspect of many people-facing roles. However, what if I told you that the most effective health promotion initiatives are those that are inspired by our stories? What if I told you our stories and the ones that people tell us are our best opportunity to grow in the wellbeing space? Our own experiences and those of others can provide valuable insights into how to promote well-being in our communities. By listening to people’s stories, we can develop community-centered practices that are grounded in real-world events, rather than relying solely on academic research or assumptions. Join me for a six-minute session of motivational storytelling to discover how our stories and those of others can make us all potential health promoters. We will also provide real-life examples of health promotion initiatives coordinated by the university to provide context.

Famished or starved in a land of “plenty”?
no ‘Kai! Food!’ no ‘Kia Tupu! Grow!’

Anthonia Uzoigwe

Group Services, Faculty of Business and Economics

Food insecurity is when people don’t have consistent access to enough food that is safe, nourishing, and meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life. It is an important topic because it has significant implications for the well-being of individuals, communities, and societies. It also affects economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The essence of living is growing and one of the core catalysts for growth is the availability and accessibility of mana-enhancing nutritional and affordable foods. Access to food is a basic human right, and food insecurity represents a violation of that right. It is paramount to widely educate the masses about this social issue and address it to ensure that everyone has access to the resources they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Growth means a lot of things, but the first marker of growth starts with proper food and nutrition, which subsequently impacts the overall well-being and optimal functioning of a person. In sum, no ‘Kai’ no Kia Tupu. I’m keen to participate in Learn Like Lightning (LLL) because I want to communicate my research output and knowledge gained to a wide audience who have the potential to utilize this knowledge to implement changes and impact policies. Especially within our University community wherein students’ food insecurity is prevalent.
In my LLL talk, I will display a summarized visual representation of the talk and share about:

– The prevalence of student food insecurity at the University of Auckland
– Suggestions to ameliorate campus food insecurity.

‘There is more to me than meets the eye’: True
Teacher Authenticity – The Ultimate Icebreaker

Dr Nigel Gearing

Learning and Teaching Designer, University of Auckland

Ever entered a classroom as an adult learner feeling intimidated, overwhelmed and dreading the entrance of a smug, self-satisfied intellectual expert who relishes rubbing your rookie nose in it?

What if that person’s opening statement was: ‘Hi I’m #### and I’m a recovering heroin addict.

I can assure you that as a pathway instructor in Australian universities, where the student cohorts were recently made redundant mining workers, some in their fifties, and an assortment of other mature/returning students, this has been the single most effective way to gain their respect. Why?

The literature on L2 acquisition (my area of research) which has the highest recorded failure rate of any learning path, clearly states that the single biggest demotivating factor for these students is the teacher.

Demotivation means that the first challenge will trigger a student to withdraw – and we don’t want that. It’s inevitable that it will happen – so we want to delay it.

My presentation (PPT slides) will draw on my observations of my co-teacher’s
‘coming out’, how and why it was and remains the single most powerful way I’ve ever heard of to lay down the foundation for a safe, inclusive learning space that – however painful your past or present – you can thrive in.

I’ll take a fly on the wall approach and tell you what went down, how in terms of the literature on educational psychology this approach is genius and how I have used it myself and you can too – selectively.

The Art of Radical Candor

Claire Lanyon

Cultural Collections
Te Tumu Herenga | Libraries and Learning Services

Do you want to improve the way you communicate and build stronger relationships? Claire Lanyon will share her passion for the Radical Candor management philosophy that promotes direct, honest and compassionate communication; It’s a way of communicating that cuts through the noise and gets straight to the heart of what really matters, allowing you to create and nurture a productive and positive work environment.

In six minutes, Claire will introduce you to the core principles of Radical Candor and share practical tips for implementing it in your daily work life. Through understanding the power of this approach, you will gain tools that will enable you practice giving and receiving feedback in a way that’s honest but not hurtful, and how to challenge and support yourself and your colleagues in a way that helps everyone grow and develop.

Self-care as a career skill: Let go to grow!

Liudmyla Beraud

Career Development and Employability Services

Every time you check your LinkedIn, you are likely to come across an article about burnout and feeling overwhelmed in both your work and personal life. After the pandemic and a series of extreme weather events last summer, many of us still feel exhausted and drained.

To get out of survival mode and enter the growth zone, one solution that’s often recommended is to incorporate more self-care into your routine. But what exactly does self-care entail? It’s not just a matter of adding more tasks to your already overflowing to-do list. While scheduling meditation breaks between meetings or practising yoga after putting your kids to bed may help, it’s not always the answer.

In this talk, we will:

• Explore the concept of self-care as a career skill, focusing on the importance of letting go of what no longer serves us
• Look at the connection between self-care, compassion, and setting boundaries that allow us to concentrate on what truly matters
• Consider how letting go can enable us to achieve better focus, maximise our efforts, expand and grow

5 Things Art History Can Teach You About Work

Fern Insh

Student Support and Engagement – Creative Arts and Industries

I have spent a lot of my life learning, thinking and writing about art. I began my working life as an academic – specialising in early modern art history, but as time progressed I realised that I was more interested in (and also more suited to) engaging the public with my research. This led me to working in Professional Services via the production and creation of digital content and events – which in turn has led to a diverse career united by work experience in engaging others with creativity. In reflective moments, I wonder what transferrable skills I learnt from dedicating 10 years of my life to art history. In the next 6 minutes, I will tell you 5 things that art history taught me about work, in general. Without too many spoilers, these are the 5 things:

1. Evolving is essential.
2. Don’t fear the haters.
3. Mistakes are forgotten quickly.
4. You have to include yourself (or people will miss you out).
5. You can’t underestimate the power of influence.

In short, through showing you a few old paintings, I am going to explain what they, via their place in history, can teach us about our current attitude and approach towards our work.