UCL East hosts global gathering on Early Years featuring children's voices through their artwork

The 2024 Bright Start International Conference, which has been co-organised with the UCL Institute of Education (IOE) Faculty of Education and Society's Department of Learning and Leadership, will bring together practitioners and researchers to explore the theme 'Empowering Change for a Sustainable Future in Early Childhood Care and Education'.

Central to the staging of the event will be a physical display of young children's artworks taken from a vast online collection. Over 1,000 children from Australia, China, India, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom have contributed their creativity and voices to this powerful initiative.

For the past nine months, early childhood educators, researchers, and art educators have worked alongside children to bring this vision to life in formal early years settings and preschools, as well as children's museums and art galleries.

DADU Children's Museum of Qatar was the first participating museum, followed by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha.

More than an exhibition

These young artists have not only shared their artworks but have also conveyed powerful messages to leaders and society at large. Their creations capture their hopes, dreams, and urgent calls for change. The Voices of Children Pedagogy™ International Gallery is a vital part of the evolving New Voices of Children Pedagogy™, co-created by educators, researchers, and artists, with children leading the way.

The aim is to introduce innovative pedagogical approaches that embed children's voices into daily routines and curricula, empowering them as agents of sustainable change through the creative arts. This multi-year project, spanning 2024-2028, engages children aged 3-6 years, as well as early childhood educators, researchers, art educators, artists, parents, and grandparents.

Conference Highlights

The event has three main areas of focus: 

• Children aged 0-8,
• Autism and SEND.
• The New Voices of Children Pedagogy™.

More than 500 delegates from well over 30 different countries are due to take part with options to join the conference both in-person and online.

Four International Forums:

• Intergenerational Approaches in Early Childhood
• The Link Forum on Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention
• The 1st Voices of Children Pedagogy™ Leaders Forum
• Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood

Programme & Parallel Activities:

• Over 100 sessions including keynotes, panel discussions, practical workshops, and live demonstrations.
• The Creativity Lab and the 1st Voices of Children Pedagogy™ International Gallery, showcasing children’s artworks and powerful messages from eight different countries.

Innovative Series:

• Dedicated sessions on AI in Early Childhood and Montessori’s Vision in Action, introduced by Montessori Global Education.

Special Interest Groups:

• Uniting over 1400+ practitioners and researchers from 48 countries, focusing on:
  • • AI in Early Childhood: Preparing for the Intelligent Future
    • Intergenerational Approaches in Early Childhood
    • The evolving New Voices of Children Pedagogy™
    • Authentic Assessment in Early Childhood
    • Professionalism and Leadership in Early Childhood

UCL's Participating Experts: Prof. Lynn Ang, Dr. Liz Bullough, Isidora Castillo Raban, Dr. Jennifer Chung, Dr. Eirini Gkouskou, Dr. Sinead Harmey, Dr. Rachael Levy, Prof. Suzie O’Neill, Prof. Dominic Wyse.

More than 30 UCL students from the IOE Department of Learning and Leadership will alos support the conference in a variety of roles.

Register and explore the Voices of Children Gallery