Rsa Events

The pandemic exposed the risks and weaknesses of the market-driven global system like never before, revealing a critical lack of institutional preparation and failings of the basic apparatuses of state administration.  It also revealed that states could exercise experimental policy and control over the economy when necessary: governments around the world introduced new measures and spent whatever it took to deal with Covid. The US stimulus was the largest on record, the UK government supported 11 million workers with its job retention scheme. It’s hard to ignore this turning point in global economics.After a period where we’ve seen radical measures, how can we ensure that we continue to support workers in the long-term? And as we think about our response to the climate crisis, what parallels can be drawn with the handling of the pandemic? Exploring how Covid-19 ravaged the global economy, and where it leaves us now, historian Adam Tooze and political economist Helen Thompson look to the future and explore how

We know climate change is the big existential challenge of our time and must be matched by the scale of our global response. Some have expressed scepticism about the potential for COP26 to bring about meaningful change, but with public appetite for climate action reaching new heights, is now the time when people power and formal politics could converge?  It can’t all be left up to the people in charge – but without good leadership, we won’t achieve the whole-system change we need. What would bold thinking, radical action, and meaningful momentum-building look like at this critical juncture in climate politics? As COP26 approaches, former Labour Party leader and ex-Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband reflects on the research in his new book, Go Big, and explores what it would take for this moment to become a catalyst for real change.  Look out for more events on this theme coming up in our Regenerative Futures programme this autumn. https://www.thersa.org/regenerative-futures Become an RSA Events sponsor: htt

Work allows us to pay the bills – but for lots of people, it’s become about more than that. Many of us derive a sense of purpose or identity from our work: is this a consequence of more people being able to choose work that’s meaningful to them, or simply of work consuming more of our lives than ever? And what if we don’t get meaning or purpose from what we do for a living?Transforming work for the 21st century will mean rethinking lots of things beyond work itself: its relationship with our social and personal lives, how we structure our economies, and how we live more sustainably now and in the future. Matthew Taylor, former RSA Chief Executive, returns to the RSA to discuss how the meaning, structure and status of work have changed over time, and how it might be reshaped to become a means by which we live good lives together.#RSAworkThis conversation was broadcast online on the 14th October 2021. Join us at: www.thersa.org

Now is the time to rethink our future and how we get there.Can we harness digital technology to tackle poverty and increase social mobility? Could reforming work help reverse the mental health crisis? And what could happen if we empower communities to imagine and shape their futures?We are facing big questions about the kind of society and economy we need and want. Technological and demographic change, economic and climate crisis are intensifying insecurity and inequality. The need to seed cohesion, change and regeneration has never been more urgent. So how do we move forward?By taking a frank and honest look at the nature and scale of the problems we’re currently facing, we can begin to explore the scope of the change needed, and imagine how we might reform state and society to create a fairer, more sustainable future.There are huge challenges ahead, but if we respond with radical thinking, concerted action and serious ambition, we can create a future that is better than the present. Policy thinker James Plu

The role of imagination for thriving and prosperous communities. As we emerge from the pandemic there is a collective opportunity to rethink and to create bold, community-led practices that can steer us towards a better future. This is the time for imagining radical initiatives that match the size and complexity of the challenges we face. The government’s overarching aim to ‘level up’ speaks to the need for community and social infrastructure to underpin recovery. Communities across the UK share common desires for the future and an appetite and ambition for change in the long term. Imaginative thinking is vital to help communities realise these ambitions and to prosper and thrive, but in the current crisis it can be hard for communities to find the capacity and capability for strategic foresight, leaving the act of imagining our collective futures to those in positions of privilege and power.So what will it take to resource and nurture community capacity to imagine better futures? How can we build the social,

As Chief Negotiator for the EU, Michel Barnier was at the very heart of the Brexit process over four turbulent years.He visits the RSA to reveal insights from one of the most complex sets of talks in modern political history, to share his perspective on the lessons learned on both sides of the negotiating table, and to look forward to a new chapter in EU-UK relations.At a time of interconnected crises, there is an urgent need to re-build trust between political leaders and institutions, and to re-commit to active partnership and collaboration on our shared challenges, from climate change to good work and economic security for all. Join us at RSA house as we explore how we can respond to these challenges.#RSABarnierThis conversation was broadcast online on the 29th September 2021 . Join us at: www.thersa.org

r versus g? Or a Debt Jubilee?David Graeber’s bestselling book “Debt: The First 5000 Years” revolutionised our understanding of the origins of money and the role of debt in human societies. But intellectual revolutions take time, and David’s sudden and untimely death left this revolution unfinished.David’s widow Nika Dubrovsky has established ‘The Fight Club’ to keep David’s unique way of challenging conventional wisdoms alive after him. Each ‘Fight’ will pit leading advocates of different visions of how society functions against each other.The inaugural fight, to mark the first anniversary of David’s death, is a debate between the renowned economists Thomas Piketty, author of “Capital in the Twenty-First Century”, and Michael Hudson, author of “And Forgive Them Their Debts”.Thomas Piketty wrote the preface to the tenth anniversary edition of “Debt: the First 5000 Years”. Michael Hudson’s anthropological research into the origins of money and debt in ancient Sumeria was the basis of much of David’s analysis i

How can we make progress together when faced with increasingly complex challenges?The major challenges of our time demand creative and collaborative solutions. But they’re not always easy to come by: we face increasing complexity and, often, decreasing control. We need to work with people across more divides. How can we move forward in ever less straightforward situations?Adam Kahane presents transformative facilitation as a new way of creating change. By focusing on removing the obstacles to everyone connecting and contributing equitably, he says, we can enable real breakthrough. He offers a guide for how we can all become better mediators; bridging our differences, distributing power, and moving forward together.#RSAbreakthrough This conversation was broadcast online on the 23rd September 2021 . Join us at: www.thersa.org

How did the world become addicted to fossil fuels? How did we discover that electricity may be our saviour?Who first sounded the alarm bell for climate change, and how could we seemingly ignore all these papers from the 1960s or 1970s musing that “if” we didn’t do anything, climate change could worsen significantly after the year 2000?As we look forward to COP26, Alice Bell takes us back to explore the earliest signs and causes of climate change in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, through the advancing realisation that global warming was a significant problem in the 1950s and right up to the growth of the environmental movement, climate scepticism and present-day political responses.The science and numbers are vital to understanding climate change but they’re only part of the story. If we really want to understand the evolution of the climate crisis, we’re going to have to look deeper at the story behind the science; who commissioned what, why, when, and how was it received? This is a new perspective

What is fear costing you? Your career; connection with others; believing in yourself?Fear is part of all of our lives but left unchecked it can drive many negative emotions and hold us back from finding fulfilment. Fear of failure, inadequacy and rejection can make us jealous, self-critical or turn us into perfectionists. Cultures of fear in the workplace, in family relationships and in friendships, can undermine intimacy, honesty and creativity. In a life ruled by fear we strive for success but are rarely happy. And the more we try to win, the more we risk losing ourselves.But what if we replace fear with something more hopeful? What if we could find courage in our true voice, and connect with the people around us on a deeper level?One of the world’s most influential and sought-after psychologists, Dr Pippa Grange encourages us to live with less fear, to find deeper fulfilment and live freer lives. Pippa has worked with some of the biggest names in sport and business and her strategies for fearing less have

Where are the opportunities for young people navigating an era rife with challenges?Studies show that many of the social and economic consequences of the pandemic have hit younger people the hardest, in a time when many were already facing adversity. Declining living standards, heightened insecurity, and deepening social divisions are changing what work, home, education, and community look like for younger generations – but young people are resourceful and resilient, and should have a voice in deciding the future they will have to live with.Youth activist and social entrepreneur Jeremiah Emmanuel reflects on what it means to be a young person in the UK today, exploring themes of identity, justice, politics, and belonging. He examines the barriers facing young people that ultimately affect us all, and presents a hopeful account of how to move forward in a world that holds so many back.#RSAYouthThis conversation was broadcast online on the 1st July 2021 . Join us at: www.thersa.org

RSA Student Design Awards 2021 Keynote AddressJoin us for this special event celebrating the 2020/21 RSA Student Design Awards programme and the power of design to make a positive social impact.The 2021 SDA Keynote Address will be delivered by internationally renowned designer and social innovator, Jennie Winhall.System innovation is the challenge of an age in which society needs to make profound transitions to meet the challenges brought by climate change, ageing, growing inequality and the future of work.Jennie will talk about why we need radical creation to meet these challenges. Drawing on fifteen years of pioneering design for social good, she’ll show what designers can do to tackle complex social challenges and how design itself is changing to change systems.Jennie is the founder of ALT/Now, a group of international collaborators leading practical programmes for system innovation, leads systeminnovation.org at the Rockwool Foundation in Denmark and is a member of The Point People. As a co-founder of Par

Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia within families and within communities drives thousands of young people into homelessness. In the US, studies show that LGBTQ+ youths make up 40% of the nation’s total homeless youth population, despite LGBTQ+ youth comprising merely 5% of the overall youth population. In the UK, it is estimated that one in four trans people have experienced homelessness. This is an international phenomenon, and one which has been greatly exacerbated by the pandemic.While recent years have seen more awareness of the crisis, our collective response has fallen drastically short. There is an urgent need for further research and action to support LGBTQ+ homeless youth populations across the world and to respond to the problems the pandemic has heightened. So how can we do better at protecting young people driven from their homes because of their sexual orientations and gender identities?We can start by supporting the organizations that provide housing to LGBTQ+ youth. We need to be advocates,

Rethinking Education III | Beyond the School Gates: the role of schools in the wellbeing of communities  Throughout the pandemic, schools have played a central role in the wellbeing of local communities, especially in the most disadvantaged areas. School leaders have provided high quality and safe learning environments, reassurance for staff, parents and students and maintained critical relationships with other key providers of support for the health and well-being of children and families.  The idea that schools are self-contained institutions, responsible only for academic development, is increasingly at odds with the realities of their role. What has the pandemic revealed about schools’ interconnectedness with their communities?  How do we build more sustainable models that recognise schools as civic organisations, essential to wider community wellbeing?  Join us for a new series of Rethinking Education events, bringing together respected practitioners, policymakers and thinkers, to discuss whether the cha

Innovations are emerging worldwide to address the challenges of a rapidly changing future of work.  The pandemic is likely to accelerate the pace of technological change and automation globally. To secure a future where good work is available to all, we will need new approaches to skills, training and lifelong learning, to economic security and to worker voice and power.To launch the RSA Good Work Guild, a panel of good work innovators gather to share the solutions they have pioneered to support and empower workers in the transition to the jobs of the future; the systemic challenges they have faced in taking new ideas to scale; and the opportunities for innovators, investors and institutional actors to come together to build and sustain system-wide good work innovation, and a global movement for change.Read: Good work innovations in Europe: reimagining the social contractExplore: Innovations in Good Work DirectoryJoin: The Good Work GuildIn partnership with Autodesk FoundationThis conversation was broadcast o

As nation-states grapple with generation-defining issues from the Covid-19 pandemic to the climate crisis, what role does civil society play in addressing the issues of our time?For the first time since President Biden took office and the UK left the EU, the G7 countries will come together at the 2021 summit in England to discuss the pandemic, prosperity, climate change, and shared values. But without support, solidarity, and citizen engagement, these ambitions for a better world will come to nothing. Activism and political movement-building has always played a key role in democracies around the world – and in an age of crisis, we need people-powered change more than ever. How can grassroots mobilisation drive progress alongside more formal political processes?On the eve of the 2021 G7 summit, Anthony Painter and Leah Greenberg explore the role of progressive political movements as engines of change during the 2020s.This event is co-hosted by the RSA and Das Progressive Zentrum, as part of the 2021 Progressiv

In ordinary times, our exam system ensures that a third of young people finish school without the qualifications they need to progress. Now, after two years of cancelled exams, public dismay at algorithmic blindness to the true nature of student achievement, and after millions of the most disadvantaged children have missed out on key learning milestones, there has never been a more critical time to question our approach to assessment.  The questions reach deeper than addressing the unfairness of the exam system, however. With Covid-19 sparking a youth unemployment crisis and social mobility grinding to a halt, do the events of 2020-21 force a fundamental rethink of the capabilities on which school curriculum and assessment should focus? Join us for a new series of Rethinking Education events, bringing together respected practitioners, policymakers and thinkers, to discuss whether the challenges that emerged during the Covid-19 crisis might, in fact, be opportunities to build consensus across political divides

The more we spend time with people unlike ourselves, doing things together, the more understanding, tolerant, and even friendly we become.And yet, increasingly, most of us spend less and less time with people who are different - as defined by age, race, or class, earning power or education.The pandemic may have forced us apart, but it also reminded us of what we share and value. We witnessed the power of community, connection and common cause. And we saw clearly the urgent work that needs to be done to tackle the barriers that stand in the way of full, equal-status participation and flourishing for everyone in society.Emerging from the crisis, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to bridge our divides and forge a new 'Common Life' - a set of shared practices and institutions - that can strengthen the glue that bonds our societies, in all their diversity.For the health of our democracy, our society, and our economy, the time to act is now.#RSAfractured This conversation was broadcast online on the 3rd June

What if women’s untapped power to make change was harnessed to fight the climate crisis?Climate change affects us all globally – but it does not affect us all equally. Vast social and economic inequities mean we don’t all contribute to the climate crisis to the same degree; nor are its effects evenly distributed. Racialised women are the most likely to suffer the consequences of climate change, which they have done the least to cause. Meanwhile, women are marginalised in the spaces where climate solutions are shaped.Gender inequality has helped cause climate catastrophe – and we need gender equality to help us solve it, argues writer and sociologist Anne Karpf. We must see women not simply as the victims nor the sole saviours of our global situation, but as holders of power to make systemic change. She speaks with inspiring women from across the world building movements for gender-inclusive climate action.#RSAclimateThis conversation was broadcast online on the 27th May 2021 . Join us at: www.thersa.org

We need a solid base camp from which to map new routes forward for humanity. One that’s built on a shared understanding of how core human needs and motivations interact with social forces to shape and drive the dynamics of change.Imagine a theory that united perspectives from human psychology to anthropology, from the sociology of groups and organisations to political science and policy design.Imagine if this theory was simple enough for anyone to understand, yet nuanced and practical enough to both diagnose the critical challenges currently facing us - in our communities, workplaces, and public institutions - and to develop new ways to tackle and solve them.Might such a theory not only enrich public debate but also enable us to overcome seemingly intractable divisions in the worldviews emerging from different social science disciplines and ideological starting points?In his final RSA Chief Executive’s event, Matthew Taylor is joined in conversation by author, entrepreneur and CEO Margaret Heffernan to explor