1.       The Price 

£30 for a conference, even though it was virtual, was a bargain! Without the extra burden of having to actually GO there, I feel like I've had a wonderful day meeting new people and listening to excellent speakers.

2.       Conference Platform 

Remo was the online platform for today's conference; I'd never used it before, and I doubt any of the other participants had either, but after a few minutes of playing about and exploring it, I realised it was pretty brilliant stuff. There were five floors, each with 16 tables for eight people. Each table was dedicated to a particular topic, such as solo adopters, additional needs, prospective adopters, and so on. To join a table, I simply had to double-click on it and was then able to video chat with the other guests at that table. I spent much time on the 5th level (education), bouncing around the different tables. During speaker sessions, you could offer questions or 'upvote' other people's questions if they matched your views; thus, the most popular questions were those directed at the speakers or panels. 

3.       The Keynote Speakers 

This may seem obvious, but the speakers were excellently suited for the conference's theme: an equal chance for adopted people. Professor Eamon McCrory spoke first, discussing neurobiology and trauma. As Professor McCrory stated at the outset, we are only beginning our journey to understand early trauma, and neuroscience is only a piece of the puzzle. There were many fascinating studies discussed that I'll be looking into, including one that looked at the 'blunting' of reward systems in the brains of trauma survivors. Dr Amber Elliott's attendance was one of the reasons I purchased the ticket in the first place, and she did not disappoint. There was much good information for adoptive parents here, especially regarding self-acceptance and forgiveness. 

I'll be reviewing Dr Amber Elliott's new book, Superparenting, soon. 

4.       The Networking 

Despite the excellent speakers and panels, I believe the networking sessions and the opportunity to chat with others were the highlight of the conference. I had the chance to talk with like-minded individuals about my favourite topic (the use of relational approaches in schools, in case you hadn't guessed) and pick up a lot of helpful information and add many books to my to-read list. The only regret was that we were thrown out of the platform at precisely 3.45 p.m. — I would have liked a little more networking time at the end of the day. 

5.       The Panels 

You'd think that being a teacher, my favourite part of the day would be the education panel. It was fantastic, and I learnt a lot, particularly about the various education systems for adopted children in the UK's four nations. The panel of adopted people, on the other hand, was even better. The panel's responses to the two questions provided some real insight. I can't disclose any of the panellists' personal stories, but they were asked if knowing about neurobiology helped them recognise that some aspects of their personality were caused by trauma rather than 'character flaws,' as they'd previously believed. This understanding had made everything make sense for them, was the typical response. They were also asked what might have been done to help them in education. The idea that teachers had just seen the 'behaviour' and nobody had questioned 'why?' was an intriguing response that made me think. 

6.       The Final Session 

Mike Welch, an entrepreneur and adopted person, was the final speaker; however, he was late due to technical difficulties. Martin Griffiths, a young adopted person, was supposed to be interviewing Mike and to be honest, he stole the show! He spent the time until Mike arrived by addressing audience questions on his experience as a young adopted person. He was very open and honest, earning himself the hashtag #bemoreMartin. When asked what one piece of advice he would give to adoptive parents, he responded, 

Altogether, it was a fantastic day. I'm looking forward to being there in person next year!