Media Release
March 8 2007
Kids society's building blocks
How we care for and educate young children has been raised as an
important issue in the work/life balance debate. But
Adelaide Thinker
in Residence, Dr Fraser Mustard, says early child development is
much more than that.
“Early childhood has a crucial role in providing a healthy and competent population,” he says.
Dr Mustard will share his knowledge and wisdom, gained over decades as a leader on the socio-economic determinants of human development and health, in the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence public lecture/AW Jones Oration, Early child development: the building blocks for successful societies.
Presented by Adelaide Thinkers in Residence and the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre at UniSA, Dr Mustard’s lecture will be his last official speaking engagement in Adelaide.
He will talk about the importance of investing in early childhood development to encourage a healthier, fitter population, and promote opportunities for South Australian children to achieve their potential.
“The challenge today for humans to adapt to change is as great, if not greater, than any time in the history of the human species,” Dr Mustard says.
“To cope with the changes globally we will need to have competent, healthy, high quality populations in all regions of the world.
“There will have to be a substantial investment in early child development to establish high quality competent populations to sustain and build democratic, prosperous, pluralistic sustainable communities.”
Dr Mustard is a Companion of the Order of Canada, and founding president and fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He has had a diverse career in the health sciences, research and the private sector. He earned his medical degree from the University of Toronto, and PhD from the University of Cambridge and he helped to establish the new school of Medicine and Health Sciences at McMaster University.
Early Child Development: The building blocks for successful
societies
Adelaide Thinkers in Residence public lecture / AW Jones Oration
Co-presented by Adelaide Thinkers in Residence and
the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
Monday March 19
Adelaide Town Hall, 6pm for a 6.15pm start
Registration essential via the
Hawke Centre website or
the RSVP phone line, 8302 0215
Contact for interview
-
Elizabeth Ho office (08) 8302 0651 email elizabeth.ho@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
-
Vincent Ciccarello office (08) 8302 0578 mobile 0434 603 457
email
vincent.ciccarello@unisa.edu.au