First Nations People advocate Thomas Mayo headlines Fatherhood Symposium
Torres Strait Islander man Thomas Mayo is a keynote speaker at the 2023 Australian Fatherhood Research Symposium, running from May 4-5 in Melbourne.
Mayo, born on Larrakia country in Darwin, is a signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a tireless advocate for the rights of First Nations People. He has also authored several books including Finding The Heart of The Nation and Dear Son, which includes letters and reflections from First Nations fathers and sons.
Also featuring at the symposium, which brings together researchers and practitioners interested in fathers, fathering or fatherhood, is Natasha Cabrera from the University of Maryland, whose current research topics include father–child and mother–child relationships, predictors of adaptive and maladaptive parenting, children's social and emotional development in different types of families and cultural /ethnic groups, and, the mechanisms that link early experience to children’s later cognitive and social development.
The full program for this year’s Symposium has not been released, however registrations are open and the organisers are accepting abstract submissions until March 3, 2023.
The event is co-hosted by the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University, The University of Newcastle, and the Institute for Health Transformation. A range of disciplines are represented.