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Events

We would love you to join us to help spread optimism.

Selected Events

Optimists Breakfast at Hurricane Handsome

Port Melbourne Optimists Breakfast

The best way to maintain your optimism and expand your horizons it to surround yourself with optimists!

We had a delicious breakfast in January to celebrate the Year of Joy and the Centre for Optimism's Week of Optimism and Joy. We danced and we sang. We laughed a lot!

March, we talked AI and the Future of Life

We agreed that a Saturday time surrounded by optiimsts was good and we'd like to get together again. We thought we'd gather again in the company of optimists with optimism-coloured cocktails (Mimosa) and excellent Melbourne Coffee at Hurricane Handsome.

Saturday, 6 May 2023 8:00 AM
Group of people in a round table isolated over a white background

WorkShop: Optimism - The Why and How

Join us via Zoom: Led by Victor Perton and other Presenters from The Centre for Optimism, this workshop is designed to help you answer the question "What makes you Optimistic?" and to pick up some tips, tricks and habits to make you more infectiously optimistic. We will cover: What is Optimism? The Benefits of Optimism in Health, Relationships, Leadership, Strategy, Innovation and Resilience Tips and Tricks to Help you be More Infectiously Optimistic We'll leave laughing or singing or both.

Wednesday 24 May 2023 8 PM AET
Chefs standing in a row preparing food in a modern kitchen

"Imagine Your Best Possible Self" Gathering

Imagine Your Best Possible Self - we gather to imagine our future, write about it and share what we look forward to.  

Imagining, reflecting and sharing our future: These gatherings are among the most fun habits of an optimist.

"A meta-analytic review of 29 studies concluded that psychological interventions can increase dispositional optimism, and that the strongest effect was achieved when applying the Best Possible Self method."

Wednesday, 1 June 2023, 8:00 PM AEST
Happy teen girls having good fun time outdoors jumping up in air

Nelson Mandela Youth Leadership Summit 2023

To be held in The Parliament of Victoria.

Friday, 28 July, 2023 9:30 AM
Ros with the Laughter Effect

The Laughter Effect - How to Build Joy, Positivity and Resilience in Your Life 

Join Ros Ben-Moshe in Conversation via Zoom at The Centre for Optimism celebrating the release of Ros's new book. The Laughter Effect - How to Build Joy, Positivity and Resilience in Your Life 

We usually end our workshops and speeches with a dose of laughter yoga. Ros is our muse and inspiration for our belief in the power of laughter to enhance optimism. The Laughter Effect is a practical guide to turbocharge humour, laughter and joy, providing a roadmap to awakening positive wellbeing and optimism. 

A positive psychology academic and laughter wellness expert, Ros will explain how The Laughter Effect offers a new dimension to self-care, elevating mindfulness, gratitude and self-compassion.

We explored Ros's motivation for writing the book and highlight essential wisdom, research and practice that encapsulates this powerful body-mind philosophy.

We asked Ros what makes her optimistic.

We shared laughter and optimism (with you).

Event Held - Video to Come
Peter Anthony, Stave Angel and Victor Perton Men with Spirit

Optimism and Men with Spirit

 Victor Perton,  Chief Optimism Officer of  The Centre for Optimism will join Men with Spirit's Peter Anthony and Steve Angel on Radio Carrum  to talk about optimism, spirituality and life!  

"Men with Spirit is for men who want to feel more ... less from their head, and more from their heart."

Mathias Sundin

Mathias Sundin in Conversation in The Optimism Cafe

We met he "angry optimist" Mathias Sundin, Editor-in-chief & CEO of Warp News. Warp News is an action and impact-based newsletter and community that tells stories and shares insights to give people "The Optimists Edge." Mathias began his career as a changemaker and Swedish Member of Parliament. In 2018, he chose not to run for reelection because he had a vision for a much bigger opportunity to have a more positive impact on the future. 

We asked: What makes you optimistic? (Life Experience, Mindset, Faith?) What makes you feel optimistic? (experiences, emotions) You have called yourself an "angry optimist". What's an angry optimist, and why are you angry?

Event is Passed
Lawrence Reed by_Gage_Skidmore

A Bubbly Optimism: The Optimism of Lawrence W. Reed

Lawrence W. Reed joined us in conversation at the Optimism Café in The Centre for Optimism via Zoom.

In the often dismal science of optimism, it is uplifting to find optimists and optimism.

In “Liberty as a Life Philosophy”, Larry Reed advocated for “a bubbly optimism and exuberance about making a difference in the world."

Larry cites the 1968 "Prague Spring", as the genesis of his passion for liberty and has referred to the Czech cause as a "flowering of liberty".

Larry became President of the Foundation for Economic Education after serving as chairman of its board of trustees. He previously served for 21 years as President of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan and taught economics at Northwood University in Michigan. In 2019, he retired to the role of President Emeritus at FEE, working as the Humphreys Family Senior Fellow and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty.

Now on Video and Transcript
John Hands

The Future of Humankind - Why We Should Be Optimistic: John Hands in Conversation

"THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND Why We Should Be Optimistic" is a book by John Hands.

John will join us to talk about what makes him optimistic, what makes him feel optimistic, and talk about his book and his argument for optimism as we look to the future of mankind.

Now on Video and Transcript

Some Past Events 

  • Curtin Corner: The Case for Optimism

  • Yoga and Optimism

  • World Commerce and Contracting: Keynote Speeches by Victor Perton at the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific Summits.
  • Northern Business and the Case for Optimism
  • The Tripe Club of Victoria Luncheon: Optimism - The How and Why

  • Melbourne Business Network: Positive Leadership and Optimism

  • Lisa Leong and Victor Perton talking about New Year's Optimism on Weekend Mornings on ABC Radio.

  • Port Melbourne Optimists Breakfast: Joy and Optimism

  • What makes Victor Dominello Optimistic?
  • Athelstan Camberwell: The Power of Optimism
  • Auburn Probus: Optimism - The How and Why

Read More: Join our Optimism Movement Today

Connect With Us

We love to connect with everyone who is ready to open up and share their optimisim.