Inaugural lectures: Professor Johan Oldekop and Professor Michael Wigelsworth

You are warmly invited to join the School of Environment, Education and Development at The University of Manchester for inaugural lectures from Johan Oldekop, Professor of Environment and Development, and Michael Wigelsworth, Professor of Educational Psychology, at the Cordingley Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street.

The lectures will start at 3.45pm, with time for questions after each of the lectures. Join us for drinks, nibbles and networking in the Humanities Bridgeford Street foyer after the event.

This event is in-person only.

About the lectures:

Are rights enough? Navigating social and environmental trade-offs in forest landscapes - Professor Johan Oldekop

Governments across the world have been investing unprecedented financial and political capital to support the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in the name of socially just forest conservation and restoration. But a critical question remains, are rights to land and resources enough to safeguard forests and promote the socio-economic wellbeing of the communities most closely connected to them?

In this lecture, I draw on 20 years of primary research across the world - from local case studies to meta-analyses and large-scale geospatial studies - to argue that rights are essential but insufficient. Although securing rights is a foundational step, I argue that rights alone cannot guarantee forest protection and simultaneously ensure that forest-connected communities thrive. Instead, rights must be paired with other supportive institutions to deliver on their transformative promise.

Kicking the Tires and Looking Under the Hood: What Are We Actually Getting with Social and Emotional Learning? - Professor Michael Wigelsworth

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become a global phenomenon, with interventions from Albania to Zimbabwe. But what exactly is being delivered? Different SEL programmes contain wildly different components—mindfulness, relationship skills, resilience—all labelled "SEL". This lack of clarity makes it impossible to know what works, for whom, and why.

Paradoxically, when we look globally, we discover remarkable sameness. A few models dominate, exported almost wholesale from Western contexts, most notably North America, to vastly different cultural and economic realities.

In this presentation, I look 'under the hood' of SEL to argue why we need greater precision in identifying core components whilst questioning whether we're exporting vehicles designed for one set of roads onto entirely different terrain. To what extent is SEL subject to intellectual imperialism, and what are the consequences for children in contexts where interventions are most needed?

About the speakers

Johan Oldekop is a Professor of Environment and Development at the Global Development Institute (GDI). His research focuses on understanding the kinds of policies, interventions and social processes that lead to better outcomes for people and the environment.

He obtained his PhD at the University of Manchester and has held research positions in both the UK (Universities of Sheffield and Newcastle) and the US (University of Michigan and Washington State University). He has been the recipient of a European Union Marie Curie Fellowship, a European Research Council Consolidator Grant, and was recently co-awarded funds from the Ford Foundation to establish the Observatory for Forests and Just Transitions at GDI.
He has conducted commissioned research for some of the world’s largest international organisations, including the UK’s Department for International Development, the United States Agency for International Development, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Michael Wigelsworth has been at the Manchester Institute of Education since 2010, after completing his M.Ed and Ph.D within the department. Michael’s research focuses on prevention and early intervention in child mental health, particularly Social and Emotional Learning in primary education. They are a Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Accessibility information:

The Cordingley Theatre is located on the ground floor of the Humanities Bridgeford Street building, and can be accessed via stairs and a ramp which is 150cm wide with handrails on both sides. You can find out more accessibility information as well as view pictures of the lecture theatre and the building on AccessAble.

Location:

Cordingley Lecture Theatre, Humanities Bridgeford Street, University of Manchester M15 6AD