Let's bring partners & kids to our conferences. Here's how in 12 steps.
Prof Dr Robert Lepenies
University President of Karlshochschule International University | Professor of Pluralist & Heterodox Economics | Science-Policy Expert | Sustainability | Global Young Academy | CAPITAL Magazin Top 40 unter 40 |
Unlike the last two years, I'm not directly organizing the Annual General Meeting of the Global Young Academy, a great encounter of young excellent scholar from all over the globe (83+ countries and counting) that will take place in India (Kolkata) this year. But I'm helping. Making international events family-friendly is tough: different visa rules, different venues, uncertainties with financing - and some places are just not suited for very young kids. Still, whether it's in Thailand, Germany or India, we try to do a better job of making conferences more family-friendly. Here's a checklist of things for the ideal conference that I've been sharing for a while now:
- Onsite (subsized or *free*) childcare is the golden ticket of conference family-friendliness. Unfortunately, it is often quite difficult to find funding for this. But if you have it, this will allow parents to really make the most of their attendance.
- Early on, organizers can publish recommendations on the website & programme for accomodation that is family friendly (bonus points if there are subsidies for it). Likewise with activities and kid-friendly restaurants in the host city.
- If you dare to dream, a conference organizer could facilitate the networking between #academicparents, maybe by giving them a platform to organize and even suggest a place to meet other families who want to hang out (& help each other out with the spare diaper or so).
- Having a nursing/pumping/baby-changing room during the conference is often appreciated. To anticipate need, registration forms should allow moms/parents to indicate their (nursing) requirements. Bonus points if those rooms do not look utterly terrible (have some toys?).
- What about partners who come along? In an ideal world, there would be subsidised stays for co-travelling care-takers, freedom from registration fees and designated lunches and breaks for families/guests/partners.
- Ambitiously, organizers should offer some slots for tele-attendance. Why not give the chance to participate via skype and stream sessions for people who have to cancel last-minute?
- Explicitly mention on registration form, conference materials and other announcements that kids & partners are welcome. That also means trying to structure the programme such that there are frequent breaks, and that key events are not taking place very late or very early.
- Quiet rooms are great for conferences for a number of reasons, but what about storage space for strollers, breast-pumps, baby-carriers? Provide those spaces (and people who watch that stuff).
- Anything else I've forgotten? Feel free to let me know . Likewise, which conference or institution does this extremely well? Are there other cool ideas we have missed?
- Anyway, here's a picture summing up the ideal family-friendly conference. How well does your conference score?
After playing around with this idea, here are some more directly relevant links you might want to check out:
https://www.pnas.org/content/115/12/2845 - from PNAS: "Opinion: How to tackle the childcare–conference conundrum"
https://women.acm.org/wp-content/uploads/ACMW-Webpage/Newsletters/Articles/2014-01-Family-Friendly-Conference-ACMWConnections.pdf?246bcc&246bcc
#academicswithchildren #academicmom #academicdad #ecrchat #andascientist #science #conference #eventmanagement #eventorganization
Its very uncommon in traditional countries, I was rejected twice when I asked if my six month baby can join with me. I rejected the conference preferred to stay with my babies. This will be revolutionary if scientists are accepted with the family. I dont know how long it would take but sure many more years. But then I was very happy when For the first time I saw that Global Young Academy is so family friendly and has so much to offer for our family during AGMs and conference! Thanks for sharing this!
Gender and Mobility Expert and Researcher | Speaker and Lecturer
4 年I took my kids with me to a conference once. I was the only one using the offered childcare, though. Many parents do not want to give their children to someone they do not know. It helps to have a play round all together to get to know each other before (!) the conference program starts. This is a great list and I hope that it will be adapted! Thank you!
Driving Sustainable Transition | Advancing Sustainability and Circular Economy through Legal Expertise and Academic Leadership
4 年I have yet to encounter a truly family friendly conference, yet I must give high credits for their efforts to the AEDE yearly conference, the Spanish Association of Law and Economics, which is doing its best to be family friendly.
University President of Karlshochschule International University | Professor of Pluralist & Heterodox Economics | Science-Policy Expert | Sustainability | Global Young Academy | CAPITAL Magazin Top 40 unter 40 |
4 年Anything I forgot? Happy to add to this...!
Professor and Chair (Dept. Head) of Cell Biology & Immunology, CSO, and former Chair of the Young Academy of Europe. Working on multimodal imaging, and imaging agents to study and modulate the immune system.
4 年Sounds like a dream! I've never seen anything even remotely close to this.