I totally echo this from Wendy.  I loved it.  It was lovely  to cross paths with friends and colleagues old and new, and to be caught up with creative and radical and engaged responses to the challenges of our times, with energy and fun as well as acknowledgement of the scale of current human and planetary suffering (and strength). Thanks to all who organised and energised.

 

I was reminded that prior to the formation of the community psychology  section we held  annual conferences, as an informal community psychology network.  In 2004 at  a network conference , on   Challenging Inequalities ( also at an arts centre:  the Phoenix in Exeter)  we resolved  to try to set up a Community Psychology Section for the BPS.  It was a contested  resolution, as some felt  that maybe critical community psychology could be a more radical force without rather than within the BPS.  Others felt that  there is room for both, working both within and without formal structures.  I am so glad to see that the section is going from strength to strength. As one of those in the initial section working group, which included Jacqui Akhurst ( the first chair), Jan Bostock, David Fryer, Jim Orford, and Lisa Thorne (have I missed anyone – sorry if so), I take my hat off to those of you so active now.  There is a huge move towards collective action for social justice right now in the UK and beyond,  and it is wonderful that psychology can play  a part in this, alongside others. There is lots of transformation needed, within psychology as well as without.

 

I attach a document we generated for that conference in 2004 with some definitions of Community Psychology that we generated then. You will see our fish motif at the bottom.  It was created for us by the socialist community artist, peoples’ artist,  Ken Sprague, who sadly died just on the eve of the conference.  Here is  some information about him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Sprague_(cartoonist)

 

A few of us still have the T-shirts – heritage items now!

 

Annie

 

Plymouth University

Devon Partnership Trust

Chair, DCP SW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello all,

I wanted to say thank-you to everyone who organised this wonderful event, and to everyone who went and made it so warm and collaborative. I really enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, though it was hard to choose between so many that looked interesting and inspiring.

I haven’t been able to go to the CP conferences and festivals in recent years and am so glad that circumstances made this one possible. It was so lovely to catch up with lost connections and make new ones.

In a world that feels to be getting darker, this was a ray of light and hope.

I wish you all, all the best,

Wendy

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