About Thriving Minds

Thriving Minds runs the largest series of national conferences in Australasia and the UK, providing an inspirational and thought-provoking atmosphere for academically gifted pupils.

Planning for the most able students is far from easy; without adequate provision such students can underperform and become disenchanted with the education system altogether, but tailoring lessons for them risks ‘losing’ the rest of the class. Thriving Minds provides intensive one day programs of short lectures which will identify and challenge students’ preconceived ideas and encourage and empower them in the process of thinking independently and creatively about the world around them. These study days are designed to complement and enrich school gifted programs as well as extending and deepening gifted students’ understanding of traditional school subject matter.

Thriving Minds has an established track record for enthusing and motivating the most able students, and offers a rare opportunity for students to be introduced to and engage with new ideas presented by internationally renowned lecturers. These study days are demanding, and students who attend will be introduced to mind stretching thoughts that they have never before encountered. However, whilst rigorous, the topics covered are relevant and encourage clarity of thought, a philosophical perspective and the ability to become intellectually creative.

Albert Einstein claimed that ‘common sense’ is nothing more than the accumulation of prejudices we have acquired by the age of eighteen. A study day with Thriving Minds will launch gifted students into an environment that celebrates excellence, amongst other like-minded learners, and inspire them to question these prejudices, think systematically about modern day issues and improve their overall thinking skills.

“The format of the event is good, the speakers were excellent, the topics are mostly engaging and it is an excellent venue. The topics do challenge our young bright minds and this is what makes the conference very worthwhile.”

“Julie is an exceptional speaker. I like how she and the guest speakers combine the different subject areas within the one speech. Eg, ethics, arts, science, philosophy is included within the one speech. It’s great for students to be exposed to this kind of experience as it happens rarely within the school environment unfortunately.”

“The Presenters were capable and deeply involved with their subject/topic – their enthusiasm shone through. The venue was excellent, for our Decile 1 students it was a glimpse into a world they rarely encounter.”

Session 1. Philosophical Foundations for Flourishing.

Aristotle, the teacher of Alexander the Great, wrote possibly the world’s first self-help book for happiness. At the beginning of the Academy headteacher’s conference in London Julie Arliss outlines the key philosophical ideas which underpin most well-being programmes. Aristotle’s insistence that happiness is not the same as pleasure, and that there are no short-cuts to happiness, are core concepts influencing the British government’s new assessment framework for well-being and flourishing in education. Resources and videos from the event may be purchased.