Monthly Archives: August 2015

Utopias Conference – Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics (CAPPE), 10th Annual, International, Interdisciplinary Conference

UTOPIAS-cropped-for-web

Wednesday 2nd – Friday 4th September 2015

University of Brighton, UK

Keynote Speaker: Owen Hatherley

Online registration now open   

The idea of utopia was always been two faced. On the one hand it was the place that is no place (u-topos) – the ideal that could only be imagined. On the other it was the eu-topos of the ancients, the place where the good life could finally be realised. This conference calls on contributors to play both faces: first, to engage in fantastical reimagining of how we live now, to think outside of all the forms of convention which delimit our vision of the future; second, to think of utopia as a form of critique of what is the case in the name of what could be the case. This means taking risks in thinking about transforming our world for the better, and doing so from the radically disparate disciplines within which this idea has been posited – philosophy, politics, architecture, design, literature, film, engineering and education to name only a few. It means also taking seriously the idea of dystopias, both real and imagined.

This conference aims both to think and practice a form of politics that is creative, egalitarian, radical and interdisciplinary against all existing conventions. We hope to attract colleagues from a wide range of disciplines who wish to pose questions of Utopia, whether in transdisciplinary or interdisciplinary ways or from within a single discipline.

Schedule and abstracts available here

Inspiring Creativity Course: Embedding Creativity in Your Working Practices

KeysCreativity

This course looks at how creativity used daily can improve your working practices. It will engage with different ideas of what creativity is, how the working environment can be made more creative and will leave you with a plan of how you can personally become more creative in how work. It will run over four weeks in the evening, giving you a chance not only to engage with the subject over a length of time but also to reflect on how this can impact in your working practice.

All of our courses are interactive, creative and focused on reflecting on your working practice, and developed in consultation with the community sector.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify ways to create more creative working environment
  • Develop an understanding of the connection between wellbeing and creativity
  • Be able to inspire creativity in others
  • To have a grasp of different creativity techniques
  • Be able to have a clear plan of how you can apply different techniques to increase your personal creativity

Course Schedule:

  • Week 1 – Defining creativity, art, inspiration and connectivity, what does it mean in different working situations, why is this useful in the work place? What does and doesn’t work and why.
  • Week 2 – A creative environment – overcoming fear and workplace wellbeing, creating a balance: the role of confidentiality and the importance of space of sharing, team working, networking and diversity
  • Week 3 – Techniques for becoming more creative: exercise’s in lateral thinking, divergent thinking, metacognition
  • Week 4 – Going further – looking at the actions you will take improve creativity in your workplace and making a personal creativity plan

The course will run over four weeks on Wednesdays from 2nd February – 1st March from 5pm – 8.30pm in central Brighton.

The course cost is £30 per person and includes supporting electronic resources from the session. Book Your Place Online Here

The course is run in partnership with our funders UpStream Ideas

Demonstrating Impact Course: Effective and Innovative Research and Evidence Gathering for Annual Reporting, Funder/Sponsor Reports and Funding Applications

This course tackles the tricky area of demonstrating the impact of your work. It expands on the different ways you can collect and use data, and looks at ways that this can be done innovatively, engaging with service users. It will run over four weeks in the evening, giving you a chance not only to engage with the subject over a length of time but also to reflect on how this can impact in your working practice.

All of our courses are interactive, creative and focused on reflecting on your working practice, and developed in consultation with the community sector.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Be able to describe, evaluate, and communicate the impact of your work
  • Be able to assess the requirements for different types of reporting
  • Evaluate the challenges of different types of research techniques and where to access support on using them
  • Be able to identify different types of data and understand how you might choose to analyse it
  • Understand how you can engage service users, customers or your audience creatively in measuring your impact

Course Schedule:

  • Week 1 – Different types of reporting processes and where you will encounter them, a chance to share current experiences and issues you have faced
  • Week 2 – Research techniques – how to evidence different types of working, desk-based research, surveys, interviews and data protection
  • Week 3 – Dealing with data, an introduction to working with different types of data and the limitations and challenges different types of data bring
  • Week 4 – Beyond KPI’s: A Creative Enhancement Based Approach to Planning and Evaluation – looking at use of case studies, user-led representations, storytelling, video work and visual arts as integral and robust reporting mechanisms

This event is ideal for those working in the community, voluntary or social enterprise sectors looking to develop their skills in researching and reporting.

The course will run over four weeks on Wednesdays from 11th November – 2nd December from 5pm – 8.30pm at the Bridge Community Centre.

The course cost is £30 per person and includes and supporting electronic resources from the session. Book Your Place Online Here

The course is run in partnership with our funders UpStream Ideas

Fit for Funders Course: Sourcing Funding, Making Applications and Developing your Presentation Skills

  This course will run on Monday evenings from the 21st September – 12th October at the Friends Centre, Brighton Junction Isetta Square 35 New England Street Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4GQ, Training Room 3, from 5pm, – 8.30pm

Course Description:

An introduction to making funding applications and developing the skills to pitch your project ideas, these are often skills that must go hand in hand to make your funding application successful. It will run over four weeks in the evening, giving you a chance not only to engage with the subject over a length of time but also to reflect on how this can impact in your working practice.

All of our courses are interactive, creative and focused on reflecting on your working practice, and developed in consultation with the community sector.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Understanding of the different funding streams available and different routes to how to access and identify them
  • Have had experience in looking at example grant forms from small and large funders and understand what they are asking for
  • Have evaluated the use of partnership working for future projects
  • Have understood and applied the principles of making an effective presentation/pitch

Course Schedule:

  • Week 1 – Introduction to funding, limitations and opportunities – how to source finding, different types of funding (including grant funding and crowd funding) and how to access this
  • Week 2 – Unpicking the process, looking at different application forms and what they ask for, what different funders expect and how you might evidence the need for your project
  • Week 3 – Partnership Working and Presentations, how you can work with others to increase your chance of funding success alongside looking at what makes an effective presentation and introduction of week four task
  • Week 4 – Making your pitch, in the final week everyone will get a chance to apply skills learning and do a short presentation on a funding idea and get feedback from the rest of the group

This event is ideal for those working in the community, voluntary or social enterprise sectors looking to develop their skills to achieve funding for projects.

The course will run on Monday evenings from the 21st September – 12th October at the Friends Centre, Brighton Junction Isetta Square 35 New England Street Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4GQ, Training Room 3, from 5p, – 8.30pm

The course cost is £30 per person and includes supporting electronic resources from the session.

The course is run in partnership with our funders UpStream Ideas

Book Your Place Online Here