All Blog Posts (163)

The New Fellows event a couple of nights ago was thoroughly stimulating. We had the opportunity to hear more about the RSA, to chat to each other, and to introduce ourselves to the whole group of about 50 with 20 seconds each to say our name, what we do, and what we are passionate about. I came away thinking that with that amount of passion and energy in the world, all is not lost! It would be good to connect more, which is why I have joined this group. Look forward to hearing more about…

Life is a strange commodity. We all have some of it. We value it variously. It can run out surprisingly quickly. How to use it is an interesting question amongst many interesting questions on life. How many years we have in life will never be more important than how much life we put into our years. Some would talk about experience as fundamental, and some of these say experience is as to intensity not duration.



We know we would all astound ourselves if we did all of which we are…

If you feel your mobile devices are eating up too much of your time, and even your life, then read on. If you love your always-on connection and feel no problem, then read no further.

One of the most important steps you can take is to reclaim your home, and the concept of placement can help here too. Your home is a number of spaces. A house has various areas such as kitchen, dining and living room, bedroom, bathroom, garden etc. Even a studio apartment has several spaces. These spaces…

While the RSA has been trying to define what Big Society is and the media has all but lost interest on this topic, like most of the people of this country by the way, it doesn't cease to amaze me that this debate is still continuing in some sectors.

I am sure spin doctors are laughing all the way to the pub, since it is obvious that this concept was mere electioneering, devised in such an obfuscatory way to make it virtually impossible to define clearly, so that as much ink as…

I learned the other day that access to the new single benefit payment will be digital by default. I'm not sure whether some unthinking civil servant has had the idea that we can close the digital divide by enforcing dependency on digital channels, but let me tell you now, it won't work. There are two reasons for this and I can support this with real life examples.

The first relates to a close relative of mine who finds himself homeless. He has a rare, genetic condition that became…

Following on from the fantastic launch of the Social Renewal theme which we had with Newcastle University on Tuesday (more to follow shortly), I wanted to draw the attention of Fellows to the recently launched report by the 2020 Public Service Hub at the RSA.  They have been conducting work analysing Sunderland's Community Leadership Programme for the impact that it has on the community, and the potential for learning lessons for other contexts.

There has been a lot of talk…

This is a new type of fundraising project for us.

We launched only a couple of days ago and I'll keep you updated here on our progress and lessons learnt along the way

https://www.buzzbnk.org/ProjectDetails.aspx?projectId=63

Buzzbnk is run by Theresa Burton, a Fellow who is finding new ways to make this model work for social enterprise. Why I chose this one above other crowdfunding networks is that it…

The scene from Minority Report where Tom Cruise walks through the adverts but with somebody else’s retina scan has become iconic. Advertisers argue that they are only giving us those things in which we are interested hence Facebook knows what you like but Google knows what you want whereas Amazon knows what everybody like you had. We have to take stock of what we are bringing into the living room when smart TV’s arrive complete with apps and channels controlled by app providers not…

Two keen bargain hunters go out to get some good deals. Shopper A decides to only look in John Lewis.  Shopper B is less particular: he'll look in Lewis', of course – also anywhere else he might get some better deals.  When they get home their partners want to know how well they've done.  Of course they assume Shopper B must have done better – since he looked at the…

In November I gave a presentation at Media and Learning 2011 about edmediashare.org - an online video sharing for education project I manage at JISC Digital Media. The video and slides are now available…

Starting in February 2012 Social Spaces will be running a series of 12 exploratory new events at Hub Westminster.

The primary assumption for the project is that there is new knowledge to be built and that we need to find new collaborative ways of…

I've been doing a lot of work around the nature of entrepreneurism lately, and thought it might be a worthwhile topic to explore with a wider group of people too.

Mention the term 'entrepreneur' to the public and you'll get very different definitions. Probably because of programmes like the Dragon's Den, many people actually confuse the individual with an idea with the investor providing the money to make it happen. Most will also assume that the term was an invention of the…

“If you have too many useful machines, you get too many useless people.”

E.F. Schumacher

In this, the first of a five-part series, ‘As If People Matter’, covering all perspectives of a people-centred approach to sustainability in business, Michael Townsend explains how the strategy links to superior business – and economic – performance.

The bottom line for sustainability is all about people; why else are we doing all this…

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all. Let's make 2012 a really good year with lots of enlightened thinking and actions for the good of all!

Today is the shortest day of 2011. With that in mind - and the imminence of pervasive Christmas frivolities and feasting - here are some of my mid-winter reflections.  I leave it to you to reflect on possible relevance to the RSA's work in thought leadership linked to social innovation ... 

Our contemporary world, with all its measurist preoccupation with 'the mechanical', continues to need poetry.  How wise may the people of the Irish Republic turn…

We’re near the end of 2011, over three years since the onset of the global financial crisis. On a bad day the stock markets are in complete turmoil. On a good day, they are simply volatile. Investor confidence is low, unsurprisingly. This is not the best environment within which capitalism, business, or the transition to a green economy can easily flourish. Just look at the spate of solar companies going to the wall in the US in recent months.

There are fundamental shifts…

A selection of my recent digital artwork and visual poetry can be viewed on my website: http://antoinettesaxer.com/gallery/

There is much talk of business needing to become more sustainable, in the face of an increasing number of challenges, including climate change, peak oil, new legislation, reputational risk, and increasing costs. That companies need to change is no longer the debate, but there is a need to understand (in easy terms) what businesses could be doing and how this action will deliver sustainable business success, as well as helping to save the planet.

The Global Research…

When I was a child I was fascinated by myths, and especially those concerning the underworld, what we sometimes call journeys into hell. It is difficult to account for why these sort of stories appeal, although now – at the later end of my life – it’s all very clear: having been to hell – my 3 months hospitalization – recently, then obviously my fascination was a sort of premonition of the fact!

All cultures have stories of heroes who descend into hell, but the most interesting I know…

Do you know someone who is receiving care at home or in a residential care home for older people? Or are you a home care manager or owner of a care home? If so we would like to hear from you.

Marion Witton and Joan Mansfield

csre@hotmail.co.uk