FLOURISHING IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Reflections from Future: Forward 2026 Conference, May 2026

Recently, Catholic education leaders, teachers, and IT professionals converged at the Campbelltown Catholic Club for CEnet’s highly anticipated Future: Forward 2026 - Flourish conference. Guided by the core theme of Technology in Service of the Human Spirit, the event was a masterclass in stepping beyond basic digital literacy to explore how governed technology can serve as the ‘fertile soil and trellis’ supporting the whole child, the whole teacher, and the whole school.

Flourish 2026 was not designed to be a typical tech conference; its goal was to be a genuine education summit, viewed through the lens of technology. Looking back at the feedback and sentiments shared by the community over the three-day program, a clear picture emerges of an ecosystem perfectly aligned in its strategic vision.

Keeping the human in the room

The event opened by challenging the usual narrative surrounding artificial intelligence. Professor David de Carvalho and Professor Pasi Sahlberg set a phenomenal tone, grounding the discussions in Catholic community values and evidence-based educational leadership. Feedback from attendees highlighted that their insights provided a brilliant, thought-provoking counterbalance to the endless hype surrounding AI, reinforcing the need to keep human flourishing at the centre of our decisions rather than just chasing productivity.

Empowering teachers with actionable tools

The transition from theory to practice was a major highlight. When Professor Danny Liu took the stage to demonstrate the live capabilities of cechat, the reaction from the audience was enthusiastic, with educators calling the platform an ‘absolute game changer’. Teachers noted how exciting it was to see a governed system that puts the power of custom AI agents and snacs (min-apps) directly into their hands, allowing them to easily and safely tailor learning experiences to their students' specific needs. During teacher-led showcases, delegates were inspired by the ‘real practice, real wins’ demonstrated by educators from across the country, highlighting the impact of AI when applied directly in the classroom.

Flipping the narrative on cyber and data

The conference successfully bridged the gap between technical infrastructure and classroom practice through dedicated rotation sessions. Educators shared that the Cyber Safety sessions successfully ‘flipped the narrative’ from a culture of compliance to one of collaborative safety, fostering a much stronger partnership between teaching staff and IT teams. The Education Insights discussions were highly effective, with attendees expressing strong appreciation for the vital reminder that the most significant factor will always be the human story behind the data.

Listening to the voices that matter

One of the most highly praised elements of the entire event was the commitment to listening to all stakeholders. The Student Voice panel and the parent perspectives brought forward by Cath Garrett-Jones, Executive Director of the Council of Catholic School Parents NSW, were incredibly grounding, ensuring that the integration of AI considers the real-world experiences of the entire community. To close out the first day, Chanah Wainer’s powerful keynote deeply resonated with the room, inspiring delegates to protect their energy and focus on the love, passion, and relationships that fundamentally drive the teaching profession.

The need for critical oversight and clear communication

Responsibly scaling AI across schools requires more than just enthusiasm; it demands a cohesive strategy and shared vigilance. Victoria Hedlund’s thought-provoking presentation on algorithmic bias challenged us to look critically at the systems we adopt, reminding us that bias awareness is a vital professional obligation to ensure equitable learning pathways for all students. This need for shared responsibility and critical oversight was powerfully reinforced during the CyberOps incident simulation. As many noted in their feedback, managing complex technological shifts and protecting schools relies heavily on clear communication channels and strong partnerships between educators and IT. Without a unified vision and the ability to cut through the ‘noise’, there is a risk of operating in vulnerable silos rather than a secure, aligned community

Drawing the threads together

To help make sense of this rapidly evolving landscape, the event featured a live synthesis from Ray Fleming and Dan Bowen, hosts of the popular AI in Education podcast. As leading Australian AI commentators, they drew together the various themes of the conference, providing delegates with a cohesive, forward-looking picture of how to translate these discussions into practical change. This special live episode was recorded and is now available: https://aipodcast.education/flourish-the-human-role-in-ai-and-education

From inspiration to action: Optional deep-dive workshops

For delegates looking to go deeper, the conference offered optional, focused workshops designed to shift from inspiration into action and formation. Delegates chose between two dedicated pathways: the cechat Immersion stream, to build and deploy working AI agents, and the Flourish AI Champion Pathway, which focused on guided reflection and drafting a Personal AI Charter.

The partners who powered the vision

Exploring digital innovation at this scale requires incredible industry support. A huge thank you goes out to the event's Gold Sponsors, Datacom and Canva, for their partnership. We also want to extend our deep gratitude to our Silver Sponsors and all of our exhibitors. It is through their generous support that we are able to offer registration for this event completely free of charge to the Catholic education community.

Thank you to our community

To our line-up of incredible presenters - thank you. Your thought-provoking keynotes and insights were the driving force behind the success of Flourish 2026.

A special thank you to the students from St Gregory’s College for their beautiful Acknowledgement of Country, which grounded our event in respect and reflection right from the start, and to the students who participated in our panel for sharing their invaluable insights.

And finally, a big thank you to all the delegates for your time, focus, and passion. Your willingness to lean into the conversations, challenge your perspectives, and collaborate is exactly what schools need to truly flourish.

One Conference. One Audience. One Purpose.

Flourish 2026 was the third in a series that began with Future: Forward 2024 and 2025. This year the conference grew into a full three-day program across three interconnected themes: AI & Learning, Cyber Safety, and Education Insights. The theme, Technology in Service of the Human Spirit, reflects the conviction at the heart of Catholic education: that every decision about technology should be tested against its capacity to help young people, teachers, and communities flourish. CEnet's flagship platform cechat ran as a thread throughout the conference, grounding the program in practice rather than theory.

At Future: Forward 2026: Flourish, our mission was to explore Technology in Service of the Human Spirit. To physically represent our commitment to building a flourishing ecosystem, CEnet is delighted to announce we will be donating 200 trees to be planted on behalf of participants.

These trees are a living tribute to the leaders, teachers and tech specialists who gathered to plant the seeds of innovation; as we move forward, these trees will grow as a lasting symbol of that essential work.

Thank you to everyone who brought such vibrant energy and passion to the event. Together, we are quite literally planting the seeds for a flourishing future!

With thanks to our sponsors!

A sincere thanks to our incredible event partners and sponsors. It was entirely through their generous support that we were able to offer registration for Future: Forward 2026: Flourish completely free of charge to CEnet network members and the extended Catholic diocesan and independent education community.

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

EXHIBITORS

Agenda

Day 1: 11 May 2026 ’Ground’

Day 1 established the values, context, and intellectual ground for everything that follows. Delegates heard from world-class researchers and practitioners, engaged with live provocation exercises, rotated through dedicated Cyber Safety and Education Insights sessions, and finished the day with a conversation about what technology means for families, students, and the Catholic mission.

Day 2: 12 May 2026 ’Action’

Day 2 was where the ideas of Day 1 meet classroom reality. A live keynote and demonstration opened the day, followed by the Mini-Symposium — teachers from across Australia's Catholic schools sharing the AI agents and tools they have built and tested with real students. The afternoon moved into ethical debates, and a live synthesis from the AI in Education Podcast.