Month

January 2019
“We need to think about how we can collectively build a culture in which we can grow old and we want our children to grow up in, which is welcoming and inclusive of everybody.” In this episode of the SCA podcast we meet Sally Byng, Chief Executive at Barnwood Trust to discuss the work they...
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“The scale of the changes ahead of us makes it especially urgent to involve more diverse people in the conversation.” In this episode of the SCA podcast we meet Marie-Claude Gervais, Research Director at Versiti to talk about power and collaboration. At Losing Control, Marie-Claude will be running a Teach Me session titled “Powering seldom-heard...
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Catherine Wilks from Designs in Mind along with Peter Lefort from The Eden Project will be curating a mindfulness space at Losing Control. Here, Catherine explains what mindfulness means to her. “Every Wednesday our studio is open for people to come and learn all the skills needed to participate at Designs in Mind, but what...
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To most people, terms like user-centred design, co-creation and agile working are terms which scream Silicon Valley. It might be surprising to hear that these principles are shaping health and care services much closer to home. In places up and down the country, from Dorset to Stockport, Nesta’s People Powered Results team are helping health...
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balloon symbolises losing control
In recent decades, the UK public sector has embraced a service delivery mindset inspired by management practices from the private sector. The extensive use of centrally-set targets and metrics, and a narrow focus on customers and ‘scaling what works’, has concentrated power towards Whitehall and away from the places and communities who arguably better understand...
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Money talks, but how can we put purse strings back in the hands of the people? Attendees at this year’s Losing Control have a unique opportunity to learn the ins and outs of participatory budgeting (PB) from expert and associate at PB Partners, Alan Budge. Participatory budgeting is a democratic process in which community members...
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Hackathons are an in-vogue option for organisations looking to inject new ideas into their plans right now. But not all hackathons are made equal. So what can you do to ensure yours actually succeeds? Two industry experts, Kevin Lewis and Lewis Westbury, will share their combined wisdom at Losing Control. Kevin Lewis is a full-time...
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Fun Palaces’ Stella Duffy explains what Losing Control means to her There have been 1367 Fun Palaces made by approximately 32,800 local people with approximately 450,000 participants primarily in the UK. This extraordinary success story is even more remarkable because of the decentralised, participatory methods Fun Palaces employs. How does Stella Duffy fulfil her aim...
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Dave Boyle, founder of the Community Shares Company, explains As an AFC Wimbledon supporter, Boyle witnessed first hand the negotiations that played out when the club became fan-owned in 2002. Board members ridiculed the notion that decision making could become so devolved that fans might vote on the club’s brand of toilet paper – a...
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