Are you seeking opportunities for public engagement that will raise your personal and institutional profile? Are you looking for ways to engage with audiences that will improve the quality of your research, enhance its impact and strengthen your communication and influencing skills?
An opportunity for all of this and more is now available with Beacon partner project, Explore.
Based at the North East Centre for Lifelong Learning (NECLL) on the Newcastle Campus, Explore is a national award-winning programme in lifelong learning, unique to the North East. Now in its second year, the scheme has to date, welcomed 900 members from the general public. The programme is all about learning for its own sake and audiences show interest in a broad range of disciplines.
NECLL are currently looking for new contributors to the Explore programme. Sessions usually last around 60 to 90 minutes and take place at a variety of venues in Newcastle including the Newcastle Arts Centre and the Theatre Royal.
There is no marking or administrative work involved. Open to teaching staff and researchers at all levels, this is simply a platform to communicate your ideas and research to a wider, enthused audience!
If you are interested in contributing, please email Anna Wraith, Engagement Coordinator for Beacon NE at anna.wraith@newcastle.ac.uk with:
We'll then put you in touch with the NECLL Explore Team. You can find out more about Explore at: explore.sunderland.ac.uk.
In Autumn 2011, Beacon NE will be producing a publication entitled ‘Re: Action’ that will include articles and discussion from Beacon NE Fellows, Theme Leaders and also guest writers throughout the country. We need your contributions to this publication. Please get in touch and share your news, views and ideas on what engagement should or does look like at your place of work or within your community.
If you would like to contribute, send your comments, articles and pictures to anna.wraith@ncl.ac.uk.
Beacon NE is offering members of academic staff or research students, the opportunity to disseminate their work and increase its impact in a unique and innovative way, namely at a Bright Club variety night. The event is hosted by a professional stand-up comedian who presents a number of researchers and prompts them to talk about their subject in a light-hearted and entertaining way, without sacrificing any of its quality, or ridiculing it. The original Bright Club was born out of a collaboration between UCL, One Green Firework and music promoters Duel in the Deep and has since spread around the country.
Training will be given in how to tailor material for an audience of comedy enthusiasts, by Helen Keen, the Centre for Life’s comedienne in residence. Then there will be a two-hour rehearsal session on the afternoon of the performance. All expenses will be covered, both for the training and the event itself. Please see the events section of the website for the dates of upcoming performances.
If you are interested in the possibility of enhancing the impact of your research in a most unusual way, please contact Anna Wraith (anna.wraith@newcastle.ac.uk) as soon as you can.
Amazing isn't it, that after a few drinks (not too many!) it is much easier to make sense of the confusing world we live in. Social Philosophers a-plenty gather round the bar and spout their thoughts and solutions.
Historically ale houses were places where the great thinkers in society met and debated the hot topics of the day. The Newcastle Skeptics in the Pub group aim to recreate the formula and make sense of a confusing world.
The group meet every four weeks or so to hear from a range of opinionated speakers, before opening the floor for a wider discussion. Speakers can agree to disagree, but all are expected to put evidence and scepticism before opinion and blind faith.
The Skeptics are looking for speakers from September 2011 onwards - anyone who wants to engage with an interested but critical audience!
More information on the Skeptics is available here and anyone who is interested can contact Beacon NE in the first instance: anna.wraith@ncl.ac.uk
Finally, check out our events page for upcoming Skeptics events!
Durham Book Festival takes place in venues across County Durham over the month of October. The heart of the festival is a weeklong programme of events that takes place in Durham City from the 17th to the 23rd October. Authors and speakers appearing at the festival include Don Paterson, David Miliband, Ali Smith, Richard Dawkins and Lucy Worsley. You can find our more about the programme and other festival initiatives at www.durhambookfestival.com
BECOME A FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER Organisers are looking to appoint a team of volunteers to help with event management, marketing and author liaison at the festival to work with them from 17th to 23rd October. Volunteers must be available to work evening and weekend shifts over this period. Full training will be given and volunteers will enjoy the opportunity to interact with authors and to work with the festival management team. To register your interest in volunteering for the festival please contact Olivia Chapman by email at olivia@newwritingnorth.com
VOLUNTEER TO HELP WITH OUR DURHAM TALKS PROJECT Organisers are looking to recruit volunteers to support their Durham Talks Day on Friday 14th October. On this day they are aiming to encourage as many people across County Durham to engage in a good conversation with friends, colleagues or associates over a meal. They are hoping to recruit a team of volunteers who will either initiate conversation meals with people that they know (perhaps within their colleges or department) or who they can work with as volunteers ‘in the field’ in schools and community centres with groups who might need more support to make their event a success.
The Festival team have appointed the writer Catherine Blyth who wrote the book, The Art of Conversation, to be their ‘Conversation Tsar’ for the festival. Catherine has also been commissioned to write a series of Conversation Menus for the project. These will be available for people to download from the festival website from the beginning of October.
Catherine will be offering a training workshop for Durham Talks volunteers from 12.30 to1.30pm on Tuesday 4th October in Durham for anyone who would like to know more about how to initiate a great conversation and who would like to volunteer to help with the project. At the workshop participants will learn how to use the menus and will be trained in a range of tactics that will enable them to facilitate a conversation meal. Prospective volunteers would need to be available over lunchtime on Tuesday 4th October and over lunchtime or dinnertime on Friday 14th October. To register your interest in taking part please contact Claire Malcolm by email at claire@newwritingnorth.com
Beacon NE is one of six UK Beacons for Public Engagement. Learn more about the project and our partners here.
We have a range of initiatives that explore methods of participatory research and champion best practice in this field, learn more here.
Find out more about our upcoming events and activities, including training and development opportunities in public engagement.
Tell us about your work in public engagement or find out more about how we can support you.