Dear David / Matt,
I think David's suggestion is an excellent one and well worth discussing - perhaps at the conference itself if there is time to do so.
Paul Moloney
Shropshire Learning Disability Service
-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of David Fryer
Sent: 13 September 2005 17:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Comm Psy conference 2005
Dear Matt,
I think you make important points and I am glad you spoke out like this although it probably meant taking up what might have felt like quite an exposed position. I appreciate that you are raising an important issue about exclusion without impugning the motives and hard work of anyone.
I appreciate that 80 pounds is a lot of money for people to find who do not have the financial support of their employers and I take your point that having to find travel and accommodation costs on top of this effectively excludes many people on low incomes. I suggest it is worth us all thinking together sometime soon about the logic of charging different rates to different conference goers and in particular exempting some (community members) completely and charging others the same whether highly paid academics like me or poorly assistants. I think it would be useful to think divergently in future. Would it be possible to have a sliding scale whereby the size of conference fee was related to income and thus ability to pay? I think it would and I would be prepared to pay more if it meant others could be charged less.
This message by no means meant to be a criticism of the Newcastle organisers who I know to be doing their very best with very limited resources of time and money and I freely admit that when I organised the UK CP meeting in Scotland a few years ago I did not address this issue well either but I think we all collectively need to think 'outside the cashbox' and support each other in implementing what we say rhetorically as community psychologists about relative poverty and exclusion with our practical actions.
Thanks again for raising this
David
David Fryer
Community Psychology Group
University of Stirling
FK9 4LA
Scotland
+44 (0) 1786 467650 (tel)
+44 (0) 1786 467641 (fax)
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of BostockHush
Sent: 12 September 2005 10:44 pm
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Comm Psy conference 2005
Dear Matt,
I am really disappointed that the cost of the conference is putting you off coming and quite understand that the combined costs of travel and accommodation are considerable. If you are unable to get any contribution toward the fee we would be happy to try and offer you a discount, and we have offered that to others. At every stage we have made decisions to keep costs as low as we can (eg a very modest venue) and not to charge people who are unwaged, but there is no budget for the conference or anyone to underwrite it (in spite of attempts to gain local support). We would like to encourage people to contact us if affording the conference is difficult and we do hope we have not put people off. We are counting on people to support the conference in order to make it worthwhile and to balance the costs! Every good wish Jan Bostock
----- Original Message -----
From: "Horrocks Matthew" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "Jan Bostock" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, September 12, 2005 12:54 PM
Subject: Re: Comm Psy conference 2005
Hi all,
Just wanted to send out a message regarding this years Community Psychology
conference:
The themes and speakers highlighted in the last message from the organising committee sounds lively and thought provoking, excellent stuff.
I want to say that I am aware how complicated it can be in bringing together an event like this, in terms of organisation and meeting cost outlays etc. However, whilst it is great to see free places being offered to members of community and/or service user groups, I am a little disappointed at the price of £80 per delegate, (whilst fully recognising that such a conference if run on a commercial profit oriented basis, could easily charge hundreds of pounds per delegate) the price is too much for my budget, because as well as the price for admission there are also potential travel, subsistence and accommodation costs to consider.
In short, I will struggle financially to attend, this year, whilst I was able to attend last years conference at Exeter, where the organisers were able to offer a number of discounted tickets to those on low incomes (including students/clinical psychology assistants as well as community groups and activists?).
Last year my colleague Nicola Gawn made an impassioned discourse about the difficulties (practical, financial and emotional) facing assistant psychologists, whilst perhaps these need to be considered relative to the difficulties facing the clients and communities we work with, the difficulties are real never-the-less.
I have found the recent discussions on the list regarding 'survival' in the face of oppression or unhelpful dominant discourse illuminating - but it reinforces for me the feeling that; to take on some of the activities/battles which community psychologist may encounter in the course of working with institutional/statutory services, the comparative security offered from a position of professional strength can be quite enabling. The struggle for community activists, non-professionals and those who are being exploited (perhaps in the case of assistant psychologists this might be viewed as exploitation from an employment perspective? - which granted is a comparatively privileged position when compared to many people in society), may make it much harder still to adopt a community psychology approach.
I would ask the UK community psychology network to continue its excellent work - including organising conferences etc. but please strive to remain mindful of the comparatively weak and vulnerable position of some members of our own network.
Cheers, Matt
Matthew D Horrocks
Assistant Psychologist
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