The Inaugural Mark Colvin Conversation

Overview

What is taught at schools, and how it's tested, is oft a topic of debate. A quick Google search will tell you that everyone from Richard Branson to Mark Wahlberg, Shannon Bennett to Aretha Franklin either failed at or dropped out of school. So, does the current system really work for all kids — or just those who are academically minded? At this Vivid Ideas talk, five of Australia's great minds will deep dive into the topic: are schools and society fostering or stifling imagination?

And they're doing it in honour of another great mind: the great, late Australian journalist Mark Colvin. During Colvin's four-decade career he worked at the ABC Radio, Four Corners, Double J and Triple J and reported from pivotal events across the globe, including the Iranian hostage crisis and the aftermath of Rwanda's genocide.

In the spirit of Colvin's unbridled curiosity, songstress Megan Washington, screenwriter and columnist Benjamin Law, Guardian Australia senior editor Lucy Clark — and author of Beautiful Failures: How the Quest for Success is Harming Our Kids — Professor Robyn Ewing AM and TV presenter Julia Zemiro will take to the stage to debate the current schooling system. It's rumoured that Washington, who'll be discussing how she found her voice through music, might even perform a song or two.

The lively debate will be held at the City Recital Hall on Sunday, June 3 at 11.30am. To purchase tickets, head to the website.