This interactive workshop explores how a study tour to New Zealand influenced an evolving approach to creating learning stories, with a particular focus on the importance of belonging, identity, and connection. Participants will be invited to bring a story about their own name and make connections between their name stories, the Māori tradition of Pepeha, and their own sense of identity and belonging.

Through discussion, small-group sharing, and participation in a waiata, attendees will be immersed in an experience centered on listening to and learning from one another’s stories. Participants will reflect on what they heard and experienced through these exchanges before exploring how the lessons from this journey have been applied to the ongoing practice of creating meaningful learning stories.

The workshop will conclude by inviting participants to consider how they can apply these ideas and experiences within their own practice.

Audience: Infant/Toddlers; Family Childcare; Faculty/Higher Education; Parents