Previous Consultations Archive

2nd June 2017

Malvern 2017- Faith, Belief and Nation-building – What sort of Britain do we want to build for the 21st Century?

In Partnership with University of Worcester, University of Chester, The University of Warwick, William Temple Foundation, Culham St Gabriel’s, Saint Peter’s Saltley Trust and Centre for Faiths and Public Policy

This consultation aimed to curate a strategic and deep conversation about nation building and the role of institutional faiths and belief (both religious and non-religious) in that task.

This consultation took place in the context of a deep sense of fragmentation that was highlighted by the Brexit vote, but which has deeper and longer roots.

It took place approximately a year after the Referendum vote on June 23^rd 2016, and engaged with 12 months of national and international reflection following this momentous event. Fragmentation is between and within localities as well as regions and nations within the UK as well as running along demographic fault lines such as class and age. A salient parallel to the original Malvern consultation in 1941 is that the stability and security of Europe feels directly under threat – not so much from a global war as from a series of destabilising globalising trends, including terrorism, economic uncertainty and nationalism. The time is ripe to develop a deep and critical sense of multiculturalism about what it means to be British and European in the 21^st century. This, we suggest, starts with a shared imaginary of what this means, rooted in religious and philosophical traditions, out of which might emerge a sense of shared narrative of what the United Kingdom is, and the ethics upon which that narrative is based.

Key questions and areas we wanted to explore at this event included:

What sort of our nation are we?
What sort of nation could we be?
What values and beliefs sustain your vision?

character education and citizenship education.

22nd May 2017

Connecting Character Education and Citizenship

The Jubilee Centre for Character & Virtues, in partnership with citizED, consulted a select group about the connections between character education and citizenship education.

As part of its scope of work, the Centre has produced statements on different aspects of character education, including A Framework for Character Education in Schools, a Statement on Youth Social Action and Character Development, and a Statement on Teacher Education and Character Education.

These have been circulated to policymakers, practitioners and academics across the UK, and have been met with widespread support and approval. Given the important interconnections between the two fields, the Consultation drew together expertise from both academics and professionals in practice to assist us with developing a Statement on Character Education and Citizenship Education.

5th May 2017

Currency: redefining the way we transact in a digital world

The third consultation of four in the Corsham Institute 2017 Thought Leadership Programme in partnership with Rand Europe.

As new forms of currency become established there will be opportunities, but also strategic challenges and changes in perceptions within society that need to be considered, specifically around issues of trust, integrity, and most importantly economic control and regulation.

This consultation considered the future possibilities for currency in a more digitally connected society, and specifically considered whether crypto-currencies and data will become established as currencies of preference. The discussions also considered the strategic opportunities and challenges that such an emergence will create for society and inclusion.

5th April 2017

Open Science: the citizen’s role and contribution to research

The second consultation of four in the Corsham Institute 2017 Thought Leadership Programme in partnership with Rand Europe.

Open Science, as a movement, aims to make scientific research, data and the dissemination of findings more accessible to everyone in society, with citizen science forming one dimension of this movement, focusing more specifically on the input from members of the public to research activities.

Many citizen science projects involve the public undertaking research and analysing data, with the role of the citizen being to provide additional capacity for the collection and/or review of large volumes of data. These initiatives have been undertaken across multiple disciplines, including ecology, zoology, urban planning, astronomy and physics, arts and humanities, environment and climate, and medicine.

The aim of this event was to consider the future vision for citizen science in a more connected society, and how this vision should evolve. We explored the opportunities and challenges that are involved in engaging the public directly in scientific research, and the role which digital technology can play in addressing such issues and further incentivising participation.

5th March 2017

Education: Digital technology’s role in enabling skills development for a connected world

The first consultation of four in the Corsham Institute 2017 Thought Leadership Programme in partnership with Rand Europe.

Digital technology is disrupting traditional models of education and skills attainment and is increasingly being used to deliver education, knowledge and skills in new and innovative ways. Coupled with future changes to the mode and pattern of work (as identified in our 2016 Thought Leadership programme), and the economic shock posed by the current political climate, there is a need to consider how digital technology can best support individuals to develop the skills needed to attain maximum benefit for both work and social uses.

This can also help to create societal norms when using digital technology and ensure appropriate behaviour online.

The overarching aim was to generate breakthrough thinking by using a mixture of robust debate, careful listening and a willingness to consider different perspectives.

The Consultation aimed to explore the following key questions and areas:

How can digital delivery channels help ensure equality of access and inclusivity to skills and education?
Can we define a new, more sustainable, model for delivery of education and skills in a more connected world?
In an increasingly digital world, how can an ageing population acquire the digital skills necessary to transact in a more connected society?
How do we build capacity within the education system to maximise the impact of digital technology?
Who should be involved in the design and delivery of digital skills and education?
What should be the role of digital technology in terms of supporting a new skills agenda for economic growth in the current climate?

1st February 2017

Electoral Reform Society

In recent years the Electoral Reform Society has been building relationships across the trade union movement to pursue voting system reform as well as wider changes to our democracy that help to increase people’s participation in politics.

This Consultation aimed to take that work to the next level by bringing key allies together to discuss where next for trade unions, electoral reform and other issues affecting the health of our democracy.

8th November 2016

Life transitions: Supporting an effective transition on leaving the UK Armed Forces

In partnership with Forces in Mind Trust

This consultation aimed to look at the issues and approaches of life transitions from other sectors to gain a better understanding of how to support an effective transition for the UK Armed Forces.

The consultation considered the issues and approaches at three different stages of transition: preparing for the transition, during the transition process, and post-transition (in terms of sustainability).

Using the concept of a connected social network, we explored the role that three specific stakeholders might play during a life transition, covering:

The individual (who undergoing a life transition);
Family and friends;
Wider societal groups (including institutions and service providers)

The full consultation report can be read here.

1st November 2016

Freedom of Expression and Universities

In partnership with the Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS

Universities are under increasing pressure from government to prevent students coming into contact with ‘extreme’ ideas. The thesis is that exposure to such ideas risks drawing students into terrorism. But there are other risks also, in particular the risk to freedom of speech and to academic freedom.

Many university administrators appear to believe that in order to prevent potential terrorism, the law requires them to curtail the freedom of academic debate. Is this an accurate interpretation of the law or are universities actually in breach of the Education Act (1986) and the Human Rights Act (1998)? What are the overall implications for tertiary education in the UK? This consultation will looked in depth at the issues facing universities with regard to freedom of expression and the relationship with the state.

The full consultation report can be read here.

17th October 2016

Connecting Young People – Healing the Social Divides in Society

The UK and Europe are under a growing threat from, so called, ‘ISIS’ and other militant Islamist groups. This threat is one that needs to be challenged wherever possible. A key problem is that some young Muslim men and women are easy prey to radical influences through social media and peer influence.

Before young people are actively engaged in extremist activity there is a less clearly defined phase as young people search for identity and make sense of their world.

This, is not a purely Muslim problem. A crisis of identity is a fact of life for many young people, whatever their colour or ethnic background. They are influenced through peer conversations, as well as social media as they struggle to understand their sense of identity and their place in society. We are working to develop a programme that brings together groups of young people to meet, talk, work and play. By bringing young people together we hope to develop mutual understanding and breakdown the barriers of ‘them and us’ that currently gets in the way of genuine dialogue and developing a common cause.

This consultation aimed to share the experience and knowledge of interested parties in order to develop thinking about how we heal the divisions within UK society through our young people.

The full report can be read here.

9th September 2016

Role of Virtue in the Professions

In partnership with The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is a research centre based in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham. It is a pioneering interdisciplinary research centre focusing on character, virtues and values in the interest of human flourishing. The Centre promotes a moral concept of character in order to explore the importance of virtue for public and professional life.

The Centre is a leading informant on policy and practice in this area and through its extensive range of projects contributes to a renewal of character virtues in both individuals and societies.

As part of its scope of work, the Centre has produced statements on different aspects of character education, including A Framework for Character Education in Schools, a Statement on Youth Social Action and Character Development, and a Statement on Teacher Education and Character Education. These have been circulated to policymakers, practitioners and academics across the UK, and have been met with widespread support and approval. With the Jubilee Centre’s continuing research focus on virtues in the professions, including the medical, legal, teaching, nursing, and business professions and the British Army, this Consultation focused on the role of virtue in the professions, with the aim of producing a statement similar in format to those referred to above.

The statement will be available in due course.

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