Loading…
Back To Schedule
Thursday, April 20 • 11:00 - 12:00
[Session 1] Brain hacks for powerful conservation messages | [Session 2] Does time spent in nature improve our mental health? LIMITED

Log in to save this to your schedule, view media, leave feedback and see who's attending!

Feedback form is now closed.
Limited Capacity seats available

This 2 hour slot contains two 1 hour sessions, which must be booked together.

11:00-12:00 The art of connecting to nature with purpose, a view from behavioural sciences & positive psychology

Laurie Parma

Ever wondered how we know so much about protecting our environment and yet so few people change their behaviors as a result? How is it that reading, watching and learning about environmental damage and available solutions is not enough? 
If the gap between knowledge and actual excecution generates some degree of frustration within you: this session is for you.

To change the discourse, and overcome the obstables that conservation faces, we need to take into account the large contribution of human brains and behaviour in the equation. We need to understand what pulls the strings of behaviour in order to become change makers and use this knowledge for the greater good. 

In this session we will learn and experiment with: 
  • Why information does not work to trigger change
  • Why threat does not do the job either 
  • How to use neuroscience and behavioural science when engaging and communicating
  • How to develop a meaningful connection to nature and conservation wired in positive psychology 
  • How to foster effective engagement
 
______________________________________________________

12:00-13:00 Does time spent in nature improve our mental health?

What benefits can time in nature bring? Why does it have an effect? What is the role, if any, of biodiversity in this? Do conservation and mental health practitioners have a common interest? Join us to discuss our relationship to nature and the impact that spending time outdoors has on us.
Mental ill health is a growing problem in the UK. Also growing is the body of evidence showing that time in nature can help with this. Many of us instinctively know this, yet it is sitll not a mainstream response by policy makers, health pracctioners or ourselves.
This 'TV talk show' sees Will Ashley Cantello (WWF-UK Chief Adviser - Forests and founder of the mindulness in nature blog "Rooted to the moment") hosting a panel of experts including practioners who use parks and countryside as sites for therapy and voluntary organisations who use nature as a tool to engage young people in education.
Hear from and ask questions to our sofa guests who will be highlighting the shared interests of mental health and conservation stakeholders and what might be needed to make the most of this in an optimistic vision of the future.
  • Jo Roberts, the CEO of Wilderness Foundation UK who use wilderness therapy to help young people and adults struggling to reach their potential
  • Beth Collier, an experienced psychotherapist who uses the public parks in London as her therapy room
  • Hendrikus van Hensbergen, the young Director of Action for Conservation whose mission is 'to bring the magic of nature into UK schools, inspiring a youth movement committed to conservation and to the earth'
 

Participants
avatar for Will Ashley-Cantello

Will Ashley-Cantello

Chief Adviser - Forests, WWF-UK
For WWF-UK I advise and support our programmes around the world to create a positive future for forests and the people who benefit from them. A growing area of interest is how time in nature, and woodland is a good example, benefits our health. You can find a short bio and my blogs... Read More →
avatar for Hendrikus van Hensbergen

Hendrikus van Hensbergen

Chief Executive, Action for Conservation
Hendrikus is the Chief Executive of Action for Conservation. Action for Conservation aims to create the next generation of conservationists. 79% of children in the UK lack adequate connection to nature, making them less likely to fight to protect it as adults. Action for Conservation... Read More →
avatar for Laurie Parma

Laurie Parma

Behavioural scientist, University of Cambridge
I am a well-being researcher. I strive to understand what makes human beings happy and ways to trigger positive change for a healthier and more joyful life. I have a particular interest in positive interventions for well-being and health, particularly for yoga and engaging with nature... Read More →


Thursday April 20, 2017 11:00 - 12:00 BST
Old Library Old Library, Ground Floor