Kofi Marfo, Ph.D. Professor of Educational Psychology University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

1. Context Matters: Supporting Children’s Development in Local Settings2010 Helen Robb LectureEarly Learning Research Unit Cape Town, South Africa Kofi Marfo, Ph.D. Professor of Educational Psychology University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

2. No matter how long a piece of log lies in water (a lake, a river), it can never turn into a crocodile (Akan Proverb, Ghana) You can take a boy out the village, but you cannot take the village out of this boy! My childhood revisited in Tampa, Florida. c. 2003

3. “Sankofa” Symbol “Sankofa” Carving by Local Youth Ahwiah, Ashanti Region, Ghana Credit: http://www.vampire-huntress.com/sankofa.html

4. May your important message of building the future on the best of our past values, principles, and practices find fertile ground in the work and aspirations of all conference attendees. Kofi Marfo, April 20, 2007

5. Special Season’s Greetings to Friends of ELRU

6. “Investing in the Future” Awards (October 2009)Pride and Joy in the Service of Children, Families, and Communities

7. In Celebration of Accomplishment , Pride and Continued Dedication “… despite the hype of the event the message that must have hit home to everyone present was that there is still so much to do. We, at ELRU, are certainly inspired to explore more and better ways of working with others and remaining critical of our practice” Freda Brock, October 2009 “Congratulations … Organizations like ERLU often go about their work in silence, driven not by public recognition but by the solemn determination to remain a significant part of the solutions to the untold number of challenges children and families face on a day-to-day basis” Kofi Marfo, November, 2009

8. Revelation in our own backyard: the power of context; the power of experience; the power of upbringing – the power of CULTURE!

9. Grounding ECD and Education in Culture and Values in L:ocal Context Good-heartedness bravery CULTURE as worldviews, values, traditions, and lived experiences of a people regard for nature curiosity patience hospitality DEVELOPMENT endpoints/valued life outcomes/milestones expectations CHILDREARING ethnotheories, routines, and practices cleverness respectfulness Sense of belonging empathy EDUCATION/ INTERVENTION in institutional settings social responsibility Respect for others’ property leadership generosity/sharing Skills for productive living

10. Threats to Cultural Continuity and Preservation Compromised Individual Identity and Psychic Growth Socialization and valued outcomes in the local context Cultural Disenfranchisement Zone of Disjuncture Values, content and socialization in schooling Potential Cultural Decline

11. Social change and our children’s new reality Our children’s lives are now lived at the intersection of local realities and inevitable forces of global change. Many children are thrust into multiple worlds, in none of which they feel at home. How do formal and informal socialization agents prepare children with the competencies necessary to function optimally across contexts? Marfo & Biersteker (in press)

12. A heritage to protect “… any intervention aimed at understanding and stimulating children’s development, averting their adversity and enhancing their well-being should take into account the region’s … realities. A feature of the realities worth noting is the immersion of the developing children into communities of linked, ‘bonded’, relatedand interdependentpersons whose existence is understood and expressed in a corporate way.” Zimba (2002)

13. From My Family and My Village to My ELRU Family For Your Efforts to Ground Your Vision of the Future in the Best of Our Past and Our Humanity A Marfo Family Collection Item Presented to Early Learning Resource Unit, October 18, 2010 “Sankofa” Carving by Local Youth, Town of Ahwiah, Ashanti Region of Ghana