The future belongs to the nature smart, our convention title is ROOFED BY THE SKY but the sky is the limit for this convention because the world belongs to everyone.

There is a quotation “the buddha says make yourself a light”. Cork can be the light that shines for children and families. Children today suffer from what Richard Louv says is a nature deficit disorder, we have a duty to address this. Early Years educators already encourage outdoor learning, they work each day to ensure that children have a connection to nature. This convention will ensure that the children of the future are nature smart, and that they have many opportunities to engage with their wonderful world.

We envisage a growing audience of followers amongst early years professionals and academics, but also amongst policy makers and families world-wide.

The association of Irish professional conference organisers (AIPCO) says that every 1,000 additional overseas tourists support 20 jobs in the tourism-hospitality sector and every euro spent on tourism generates 23 cent in VAT.

Failte Ireland states that every business delegate is worth in the region of €1,600 to the economy which is three times more than the leisure tourist.

The convention promotes the great outdoors and this gives the greater Cork region an opportunity to become a world leader in outdoor learning for children, parents, academics, childcare professionals, teachers and policy influencers. The three-year plan for this convention is that the Cork region will become for early learning in an outdoor setting what the Reggio Emilia region in Italy has become for professional development in the early years and a research hub for the Reggio philosophy. In excess of 15,000 people visit this region annually in relation to their teaching methods.