Over three days in June 2017, nearly 300 educators gathered in Waverley, Johannesburg with a sense of common purpose: to deepen their understanding of the Reggio Emilia philosophy of education; to connect with other Reggio-inspired thinkers, activists and educators; and to meditate on what more we can do – or do differently – to ensure a better future for children.

• Read a snapshot of the 2017 conference
• Read an overview of some of the emerging themes

On display at the conference was the beginning of a ‘Great Forest’ – a collaborative project and exhibition looking at how children see the rights of trees, as a lens into how they see their own rights. Six schools and 1 NGO participated in the pilot – from Lesedi la Kreste in Orange Farm to Clare Ellis Brown Pre-Primary in Durban. Our hope is that the project will grow into an exhibition on children’s rights, to be hosted at Constitution Hill.

• Visit our photo album of the first Great Forest exhibition
• If you’d like to join in on the Great Forest project, join the WhatsApp group by contacting Lindi Bell or Tessa Browne directly