The Harmony Project Education Podcast

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to Muhammed Foulds, raptor biologist, human ecologist, Head of Multi Faith Chaplaincy and Senior Imam in the Ministry of Justice Prison Service. They discuss Muhammed's life-long passion for the natural world, how Nature connection can be transformative to the lives of prisoners and what is the role of the education system in helping young people to learn in a...

Tune in to listen to our conversation with Abby Evans, who we were excited to welcome to the podcast after recently seeing her talk about her love of Nature and permaculture on Gardeners' World. Abby currently manages the walled garden at The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire, growing produce for the restaurant in a permaculture garden. She's been gardening for nearly eleven years since training with t...

For the latest episode in our Living in Harmony podcast series, we spoke to Barney Swan, a polar explorer and Nature-based solutions expert who is currently leading a restoration project in Daintree, Australia – the world's oldest rainforest and home to a unique range of flora and fauna. Barney was born in London but, aged six, he and his family moved to an off-grid community in Daintree to live c...

Listen to the latest episode of our Future of Education podcast with best-selling, British author, Isabel Losada. She's written seven non-fiction books relating her own experiences in the pursuit of a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, combining humour with a serious take on this critical subject. In her most recent book, 'The Joyful Environmentalist: How to Practice without Preaching', she...

What is a polymath? What cultural changes are needed today to promote holistic, multidisciplinary thinking? To find out, listen to the latest episode of The Future of Education podcast with Waqās Ahmed. 

Mary Colwell, the award winning author, producer and campaigner for Nature, who spearheaded the establishment of the Natural History GCSE talks to Richard Dunne, the director of The Harmony Project. Mary discusses how her passion for curlews led her to set up the charity, Curlew Action. She also shares her vision for the new GSCE syllabus and explains why we need Nature to ensure our own happiness...

We are joined by Donna Edmonds, CEO of Farms for City Children, a charity that's enabling children from disadvantaged communities to experience farms in the heart of the British countryside. She explains how, growing up on a council estate in South London, she had zero experience of the natural world and had very little understanding of the links between food and farming, and how this led her to s...

What are the opportunities and challenges we face in education today? Could the outcomes of learning be measured in a more holistic way? Why is now the right time to rethink the purpose of education? These are just a handful of the questions we discussed with Dame Alison Peacock in the most recent episode of our Future of Education podcast. Dame Alison Peacock is chief executive of the Chartered C...

In the third episode of our podcast series on the future of education, The Harmony Project's Director, Richard Dunne, is joined by former TV presenter and co-founder of  Wildfarmed and GROW, George Lamb.

In the second episode of our podcast series on the future of education, The Harmony Project's Director, Richard Dunne, is joined by former Secretary of State for Education, Justine Greening.

In the first of our new podcast series on The Future of Education, The Harmony Project's Director, Richard Dunne, is joined by flexi-schooling advocate Sian Goodspeed, who is also Founder of Flying Start Tuition and a former primary school teacher.

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to Advisor to The Harmony Project,   Professor David Cadman.   During the podcast David discusses his upbringing as a Quaker, the lessons he learnt during his time at boarding school, the evolution of his career in estate management and his work with HRH The Prince of Wales (following the Toxteth Riots of 1981), which led to his ongoing work with The Prince's...

In this podcast, Richard Dunne talks to Pramisha Thapaliya - a passionate climate justice and sustainable food systems advocate from Nepal. Pramisha shares her experiences growing up in Kathmandu and the changes that have taken place in her own lifetime. She describes the need for an education system in Nepal which prepares young people for the real world challenges that they will face, particular...

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to the founder of   Square Food Foundation,   Barny Haughton. Barny is a chef, teacher and food educator who believes that food education should be playing a central role in health and education policy both at local and national government level:  "if we want resilient food systems, we need resilient communities and if we want resilient communities, we need a...

In this podcast Richard speaks to Catherine Smith, Headteacher at Damers, a large first school with specialist provision for children with complex communication needs, which sits at the heart of the Duchy of Cornwall's Poundbury development in Dorset. Damers introduced the Harmony principles to their curriculum two years ago and are now beginning to embed these principles into all areas. Catherine...

In this week's episode, Richard Dunne speaks to co-founder of the   Eden Project ,   Sir Tim Smit , about his personal experiences of education and fascination with the natural world, as well as what lessons he learnt from the restoration of   the Lost Gardens of Heligan  and creation of Eden. "There is no greater vocation than to be a teacher" says Tim, as he shares his wish for a radical new way...

During this podcast, Richard Dunne speaks to Serena Murdoch, a 16 year old from Kent, passionate about climate justice and environmental activism. During the podcast, Richard and Serena discuss the future of education, as well as Teach the Future's demands for a reform of the education system - repurposed around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. "In an ideal situation we would have a wh...

In this week's podcast, Richard speaks to Professor Yoshiyuki Nagata, Vice Director of the  Sacred Heart Institute for Sustainable Futures   (SHISF) in Tokyo. During the conversation, Yoshi shares his reflections on the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development - including its successes and some of the barriers to change. He also talks about the shift from Education for Sustainable Developme...

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to Tessa Willy, the Co-Programme Lead of the Primary PGCE at   UCLs Institute of Education , about the benefits of creative learning environments, re-energising teachers and what the 'new normal' might look like in relation to education as children return to the classroom. "Teaching is the ultimate responsibility we can have as adults, and we must be prepared...

In this podcast, Richard Dunne speaks to   Nizam Uddin , former Senior Head of Mosaic and Community Integration at   The Prince's Trust . Nizam shares his experience of education as a young person growing up in East London, as well as his fascination with StarTrek and a growing ambition to "cultivate environments that encourage young people to innovate a far more sustainable world". Richard and Ni...

In this episode, Richard Dunne speaks to Headteacher and CEO of   Values Based Education , Bridget Knight, about what lessons we might learn about education during this time of coronavirus, and why a values-based approach to Harmony in education offers a solution. Bridget is currently working with The Harmony Project and schools in Herefordshire as part the Harmony in Herefordshire initiative, whi...

In this week's podcast , Richard Dunne speaks to an important guest - Lord John Bird, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the  Big Issue , who in 2015 became a people's peer in the House of Lords. Richard is particularly interested in speaking to John about his current campaign around  the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill . His own experiences have led John to believe that ultimately, a good educat...

In our second podcast, Richard Dunne talks to   Forest School Association  Director and trainer Sarah Lawfull about the importance of bringing nature into children's learning. Sarah shares her own experiences as a child growing up in rural Devon, being able to explore the wilderness beyond her home, and explains how this shaped her as an early years teacher and later Forest School leader. "Forest...

In this first episode The Harmony Project's Director of Education Richard Dunne speaks to Sir Anthony Seldon, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, contemporary historian and public educator. During the conversation, Richard and Anthony discuss the importance of valuing wellbeing in the classroom and how we can create a better education system for the future.