To say that Mana Forbes has a background in education and IT is a massive understatement. He worked on computers when they had whole rooms, and is heavily involved in education including Te Wananga o Aotearoa, including Te Mana Whakahaere Council, Hamilton Raroera Campus Manager, Foundation Director Te Arataki Manu Korero (Elders traditional knowledge Diploma Course), Foundation Manager Te Puna Rangahau Iwi Research, Foundation Trustee Aotearoa Scholarship Trust, Foundation Executive Member of Te Runanganui o Ngati Hikairo, and the Foundation Licensee of the first Early Learning Centre Raroera Te Kakano.  His educational philosophy is one of empowerment based on capabilities and an understanding of self and purpose. He is now working with Minded to bring these resources he has developed to the mainstream.
Talking points
Opening the door to participation
Looking and thinking: we don’t need to be the same.
Giving life to learning and purpose to life
Nurturing the desire to care
Developing a sense of responsibility
Celebrating success
Fulfilment of your exit strategy
Cries we should be following are those of young people left by wayside of schools operating on a paradigm of one, without communication and relationship
Project-based learning: whole of person and guide them through
Get it out there – at scale
Sustainability: Replenish
Success: Minded. The development of the course, I think the direction of what we are teaching is so important for today’s learning, and so important for preparing people for living and communication and working relations.
Superpower: My ability to connect the dots and work alongside with other skilled people.
Activist: In some regards yes, the areas that I have passion for I will embarrass myself and people around me and thump the table to make a change, I don’t want people walking out the door thinking that I wasn’t passionate about this particular purpose.
Challenge: Trying to get the establishment and trying to work with the government structure and understand their way of thinking.
Miracle: For the ministry of education saying that we realise the benefits of this and we need to have this in all of our high schools and middle schools.
Advice: If you can make a difference, work out what that might mean to you, your family and the wider community.