Symposium

Megan Mitchell, National Children's Commissioner for Australia, addressing a symposium on 'involving children and young people in improving policy, programs and services' hosted by Southern Cross University's Centre for Children and Young People. I was on in the afternoon, with six young people I'd met just a day or two previously. They were terrific, talking openly and confidently about their good and less good experiences of participation.

Beforehand the young people and I were discussing the meaning of 'symposium'. We concluded that it probably meant coming together to share ideas - maybe sitting together or even walking together (cf 'podos'). Clearly my Greek is rusty - in fact (according to good old Wikipedia) συμπόσιον (symposion) comes from συμπίνειν (sympinein), "to drink together" and was originally a drinking party. This one wasn't.