Character and Enterprise
The Lift Project: A year-long, evidence-based wellbeing project for the whole Barker community
Special guest Dr Darren Morten of Avondale University and The Lift Project shared with an eager group of parents how with practice and the right strategies anyone, at any age, can Lift their mood and their life.
In 2023 Dr Darren Morten is partnering with Barker College students and staff for a 10 month Lift Program, and on Monday there was a chance to launch this initiative to the wider community.
The night commenced with nutritious lifting juice shots for attendees recognising the role of nutrition on overall health and wellbeing.
Before introducing Dr Morten, Dr Julie Wilson Reynolds, Deputy Head Academic Care explained the drive behind Lift@Barker. Barker seeks to create a community of individuals who are not only safe and protected, but flourishing and truly enjoying the view from the metaphorical headland.
Dr Morten inspired an audience primarily made up of Barker parents to think about how their brain works and offered a few simple tips for improving mood each day. These include recognising the role of the limbic system in the brain ("Your limbo is listening"), movement, and getting into nature ("Blue and green should often be seen") are all topics that are being explored by Barker students and staff in 2023.
Lisa Chalmers, Director of Health and Wellbeing, and Elizabeth Pritchard, Coordinator of Student Wellbeing explained how the ten month program is being implemented on campus at Barker, and how parents could get involved themselves or facilitate family discussions around the topics.
For more information, visit the website of theLift project, or if you are family of a Barker student, have them show you the Lift project as they see it through their Barker Canvas site.
The Barker Institute is partnering with Dr Darren Morten and Avondale University to document and research this exciting endeavour and we look forward to sharing with the wider community at the conclusion of 2023 Lift@Barker.
Dr Matthew Hill
Dr Matthew Hill is the Director of The Barker Institute with a focus on professional learning, research, and innovation in the school. He teaches Physics and the new Science Extension course at the School which introduces students to scientific academic research. Matthew's doctorate reflects his passion for science education focussing on Representational Fluency amongst physics students at school and university. He has published in leadership, education, and science journals and been involved in course development and teaching at The University of Sydney and The University of Western Sydney. He has also completed a Graduate Diploma in Divinity at Ridley College in Melbourne.
