KIDS' CONFERENCE
Presenter and Facilitator Guide
Hosted by the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore -
25th June
This conference is a live streamed hybrid event -international presentations via Zoom
6th Kids' Conference Oxford 2026
Hosted by The Department of Education, University of Oxford -- 1st July
Now Open - closes 1st June
This conference is a live-streamed hybrid event -international presentations via Zoom
3rd Kids' Conference Africa 2026
Hosted by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi Campus - 10th July - Now Open & closes 25th June
This conference is a live streamed hybrid event -international presentations via Zoom
14th Kids' Conference Australia 2026
Hosted and sponsored by the Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne -
16th November - Opens 5th August & closes 24th October
Supported by The Royal Society of Victoria, the Geography Teachers' Association of Victoria, Cultural Infusion
This conference is in-person - international presentations via pre-recorded film.
2nd Kids' Conference Las Americas 2026
TBA
This conference is a live streamed hybrid event - international presentations via Zoom
This conference will be a virtual online global conference
For Presenters
Conference Guidance:
The Kids' Conference provides primary and secondary students with the opportunity to present innovative projects which draw on new and emerging technologies. The use of technologies may feature in the conducting of research or in the reporting of findings and presentations.
Students can present solo or in small groups.
The Kids' Conference is not looking for presentations of fully formed solutions, but if you need some additional support for your project team to get started, we offer dedicated outreach support via Zoom and iSee video conferencing and in person where possible.
The outreach program aims to build your skills in project facilitation, team development and presenting your ideas to a wider audience.
If you have an innovative idea which you think offers a new way of learning or sharing your project, the first step is to find a teacher who can help facilitate your work.
Ask them how they can support developing your idea to a level where it’s ready to present at the Kids' Conference.
Your idea can be developed inside or outside school. Your project should present a new way of looking at a current challenge, something about our past or even looking to the future.
Once your idea and project gets going, think about how you can explore and present or demonstrate your idea. Use the guide below as a prompt to get started.
We want to be sure that you are recognised for your original idea and your approach to research. We’d like you to also describe how you tackled any challenges and what you learned from the process. All presenters receive a certificate of participation and have an opportunity to network with fellow students. See examples of past projects presented virtually by our international presenters >>
Kindling graphic
For Teacher-Facilitators
WHY PARTICIPATE AS A TEACHER?
The Kids’ Conference promotes student voice and enables student-led learning. The conference gives students a unique opportunity to share their learning process and creative problem solving with their peers, teachers and other leaders in education.
The Kids' Conferences brings together all disciplines to include interdisciplinary approaches. Kids' Conference Oxford will also contribute Religious Education and Languages to their conference programme.
The Kids’ Conference encourages school age students of all abilities to share their creativity and insights in how they engage with technology to enhance their disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning and bring their ideas to life.
We support an open, non-competitive environment and encourage students to also share their challenges and how they dealt with barriers and obstacles encountered as part of their learning.
Preparing for the Kids' Conference Some points to consider when developing and presenting your project
Your ideaWhich subject interests you the most?What do you know about your subject?Is your idea something that links up two subjects? Consider your research question?
Your teamWho can you work with to help with your idea?How can your teacher help facilitate your project?Who else might be able to help or advise you?
Your processWhat information do you need? Where can you find the information you need?What other resources do you need?
Your research & demo toolsWhat tools can you use to help with your project? What tools can help to demonstrate your idea? Can you use some new tools for your presentation? Perhaps consider something like Group Map (free version) as a collaboration platform?
Your ideaWhich subject interests you the most?What do you know about your subject?Is your idea something that links up two subjects? Consider your research question?
Your teamWho can you work with to help with your idea?How can your teacher help facilitate your project?Who else might be able to help or advise you?
Your processWhat information do you need? Where can you find the information you need?What other resources do you need?
Your research & demo toolsWhat tools can you use to help with your project? What tools can help to demonstrate your idea? Can you use some new tools for your presentation? Perhaps consider something like Group Map (free version) as a collaboration platform?
We aim to recognise and further enable teachers who are actively facilitating student projects and bring their original ideas to a wider audience.
Each year we hold pre-conference workshops to support teacher facilitation and student team development.The dates of these workshops will be announced.
We love sharing participant school projects anytime via Twitter @KidsConference. Please follow us if you'd like your teaching ideas and projects to be profiled by us.
Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking offers a way to see the world as a complex ecology, “a dynamic framework for describing, assessing, analysing and explaining how a person and world function together in human development, " (Fischer & Yan, 1998, p.3). ST empowers us to more effectively see connections and understand complex relationships.
Inaugural Kids' Conference Las Americas
The Inaugural Kids' Conference Las Americas '23 theme was Regenerative Futures: Youth leading the way. This focus emphasised how children and youth re-imagined futures of hope towards a kinder, gentler, more creative and peaceful future. Projects were invited to imagine realities of new ways of living together, in harmony, moving away from the present values of domination and extraction. They talked of the language of the heart, language of the brain and language of the hands.
ST also enhances our ability to see patterns, make informed generalisations, theorise, think critically, solve complex problems in developing an ecological world view. If students are to prepare for an unpredictbale world, they must be able to think systemically and advocate for their own learning.
Systems Thinking Resources
Kids’ Conference 2026
NOMINATING PRESENTERS & REGISTRATIONS
Presenters must be nominated and registered for the Kids' Conference by a teacher associated with the school where the student is enrolled or by a person nominated by the school with a suitable working with children clearance. Each year expressions of interest reservations for presenters are available. This confirms your conference presenter slot whilst decisions about presenters & projects are being decided.
Student presenters must be nominated for each conference by the presenter registration closing date for each conference. The Australian conferences are convened during November.Conference registrations will open via theKids’ Conference Website. See the conference formats.
Please contact us if you would like to express your interest in presenting a project to one of the Conferences.If your student presenters are drawing on digital tools or another author's work in producing their presentations, please advise them on including an APA reference list.
Develop your idea further
What did you find out that was new?
What did you discover that was unexpected?
How did you deal with the challenges?
Preparing your presentation
How will you explain your idea?
What will interest the audience the most?
What can you demonstrate that's surprising?
If you are drawing on digital tools or another author's work in producing your presentation, ask your teacher about including an APA reference list.
Structure for Kids' Conference Food Systems Science Event in '26
Short Summary of Research A Key Research QuestionWhy this topic matters to you and your community ?Tell us how the challenge connects to other students ?
Ready to Present
Who will present which part of your
presentation?
How can you summarise your project to present within 10 minutes? Max 5 presenters & one research project per programme slot.
Can you share some challenges and what you learned?
Can you answer some questions?
See examples of past projects presented virtually by our international delegates.
Registration for Kids' Conference Australia opens 5th August and closes 24th October, Kids' Conference Food Systems opens 2nd June and closes 28th July, Kids' Conference Oxford opens 2nd April and closes 1st June, Kids' Conference Africa opens 9th March and closes 25th June
Please submit your Kids' Conference presentation file/URL link to the Kids Cloud here by 19th June for Kids' Conference Oxford, by 30th June for Kids' Conference Africa, 31st July for Kids' Conference Food Systems and 31st October for Kids' Conference Australia for the Kids' Conference Committee to view.
THE KIDS' CONFERENCE
ON THE DAY - PRESENTERS & FACILITATORS
All student presenters must be accompanied to the Conference by a teacher or a nominated representative of the school.
On the day teachers / facilitators are encouraged to introduce their students and ‘be a back stop’ for support if needed. The presentation should match the students' abilities and allow the students to lead throughout.
Students presenting should also briefly explain their creative learning experience and problem solving processes.
The Kids’ Conference is a supportive environment and all delegates are interested in learning directly from the students. Students should feel comfortable and well prepared to present at the Conference but we value diversity, innovation, creativity and originality. For this reason group contributions are positively encouraged. If any presenters have special requirements we will make every effort to accommodate them.
Please bring your presentation file or link on a memory stick on the conference day to present from. A computer will be provided for inperson conferences.
Morning tea/coffee will be provded by the conference hosts. However, we advise all delegates to bring a packed lunch. Alternatively, lunch can be purchased at the conference venues or at local cafes/restaurants in the vicinity.
PRE-RECORDED PRESENTATIONS FOR REMOTE, INTERSTATE AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PRESENTING AT THE KIDS' CONFERENCE
International, remote regional and interstate students may also present their projects live to the Kids' Conference to include one 10min pre-recorded video, such as public Youtube for example. Students presenting outside time zones of any Kids' Conference (with the exception of KC Asia), will present entiely via a 10min pre-recorded video to be submitted via the Kids Cloud and will be played on behalf of those international presenters by the conference convenor. Students presenting pre-recorded videos as out-of -zone candidates are also required to include a short “Making Of” section (max 5 mins extra) where students explain and share their insights about how they developed their project.
If teachers would like to nominate students(s) to present via pre-recorded mode (international/interstate & rural remote students) they can complete an online expression of interest via the homepage or formally register their students in the Kids' Confernce of their choosing. Places may be limited for 2025, so expressions of interest are encouraged.
After registrations are confirmed, presenters using pre-recorded video for Kids' Conference Australia, must have their teachers upload their presentations to the Kids Cloud. If presenters have special requirements, eg software etc, please contact us to discuss your requirements: stephenspain@kidsconference.online