Hello everyone,
 
Thanks, Bob, for getting the ball rolling again. Whilst I'm aware of the difficulties of 'too many meetings' as expressed by Paul, I feel rather like Annie, a bit isolated and have very much enjoyed the opportunities for engagement and discussion at the past two annual conferences. 
It's good to be able to debate ideas with community-minded people, and I believe we need to keep a momentum going.
 
Although I've asked our conference office to 'pencil in' a tentative booking for 13-14 Sept 2007, but am still waiting for their prices etc. Our facilities here at York St John are really nice for smaller conferences, and earlier this year the Psychology Network had their biennial PLAT conference here for about 120 people. There's some inexpensive student accommodation available, and we're very close to the centre of York, just outside the walls near the Minster. I've had the offer of assistance from one of the list members so far, but don't want to go too much further until there's a sense of more support from people on the list (and if anyone has informal 'community' connections here in York, I'd welcome the info, if we are to go ahead).
 
Looking forward to hearing more ...
 
Best wishes,
Jacqui  

________________________________

From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List on behalf of Diamond Bob
Sent: Fri 06/10/2006 15:54
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Future meetings and conferences for the community psychology network - What to do?



Hi All

It's now 2 weeks since the conference in Gt Yarmouth and as I recall at the conference there was a sense of not wanting arrangements about future events to dawdle on too long without agreement on where and what to do next. Opinions on the list about what to do next appear to have dried up with four opinions expressed. In keeping with our diverse minds these opinions seem to represent quite a range of preferences. As I mentioned before myself, Carl Harris and Jacqui Akhurst have discussed a couple of options: Carl would be willing to arrange a one day event in Birmingham in about 6 months time, it was suggested that this could be to consider world events. Jacqui has preliminarily offered to help co-ordinate a conference in York for September 2007, this offer is dependant on others being willing to lend a hand with the organising of such an event. A small group from the East Midlands would be willing to arrange either a one day meeting or two days conference in the future. I have included all four responses below, my apologies for the length of this e mail for those of you that don't want to plough through the four responses, I've summerised as follows:

 

-  support for a 6 month 1 day even plus a conference in 12 months

-  support for closer regional networks plus a bi-annual conference

-  support for regional networks plus a one year conference

 

Hope this does justice to the views. So what to do next?

 

Bob Diamond

 

 

Thanks for offering, Carl, Bob and Jacqui. I agree with Rebekah that we need a quick decision. 

 

I'd like to go with the proposal, [pretty much as suggested), of ;

 

1)       An event in 6 months  in Birmingham for those who want to discuss world events and community psychology responses/ responsibilities/ actions in relation to these. Organised by Carl

2)       a conference in York in organised by Jacqui in September 07 and supported by those who volunteer to assist her. I'd just say in relation to this that it is a big job organising a conference so she will need significant amounts of help and we were a bit worried about whether between us we could rally enough at a distance. I'd be willing to help out a bit - .

3)       a future conference (maybe 18 months later ie spring 09 since some of us were finding that spring might be a better time than September and that way we would spread the timing   ) organised by the East Midlands group.

 

In response to paul's comments - it's good to be reminded not to get on a roll of unquestioned actions/ plans without reflecting.  Not everyone will want to attend everything and of course some prefer to collectivise/ connect by means quite other than conferences ; and certainly conferences are in themselves an adequate vehicle to change the world...only one tiny part of a plurality of efforts.. I didn't see much evidence of people sloping off  shopping at Great Yarmouth.. and there wasn't a "ubiquitous keynote"  and there were at least some resource poor people there ( taking resources to include money,  as well as time) . : My impression   is that the locally organised conferences that we have been having over recent years have been for many of us a source of camaraderie and inspiration that we do not find elsewhere ( different to the discussions on the list which as well as connecting, stimulating and challenging  can be abrasive and distancing ( which might be why there isn't so much talk on them) . But too many events can be a bit overwhelming so let's not try to put on too much...

 

Finally, we will certainly not reach a consensus by email... whatever we decide won't be perfect.

 

Annie

 

 

My view?

 

Too many meetings. 

 

I couldn't attend Great Yarmouth because of a combination of lack of money and lack of time.

 

For some reason we seem to be  having conferences every year. The European Association of Community Psychology are doing the same. Why? Is the amount of time and money it takes to organise such events and the time and money it takes to attend actually paying off for us? I am sorry to be brutal, but my impression of conferences, including community psychological ones, is that a lot of delegates spend a lot of their time shopping and sight-seeing and relatively little time actually attending talks. Certainly most conferences I have attended have tended to haemorrhage delegates in this way shortly after the ubiquitous keynote that follows registration. At times it almost feels that conference organisers make it easier for us to disappear in this way by using parallel session as the back bone of the conference timetable. I have heard wonderful things about the conference in Gt Yarmouth and the team there must have done a wonderful job, but I am not wholly convinved that conferences are adequate vehicles to carry our aspirations for a socially just world, at least I don't think they are improved simply by increasing their occurrence.

 

If we start organising events once every six months I think that the only people we will regularly attract are long distance lorry drivers with a passing interest in cp and a small group of people who have the money and the time (the resource rich) to merrrily chug around the country having hug-athons with their similarly richly resourced friends. My fear is that we will appear smaller and smaller in number as members have to try and cherry pick which of the plethora of community psychology conferences being run that year they are able to attend and we end up spreading ourselves thinly. My finances and employment situation means that I am lucky if I can attend one or two conferences a year. Maybe others are more fortunate than me, I know that many, many are less.

 

If we really had that much to talk about, wouldn't the cpuk list be buzzing more than it is? Are we at risk of having more conferences than contributions to the list? Indeed, the list might just become the publicity arm of our conference machine broken up only occasionally by spammers selling us haemaroid creams.

 

I am not against the idea of conferencing (I actually prefer the word gathering [or Ceilidh, as it used to be known in Scotland]). I also do like the idea of regular regional meetings (I believe these do happen in some places). I woudl prefer to stay local but to have a biennial uk conference where we coudl get together and collectively seek to make our work impact at a national and internation level.

 

There is an old saying that psychologists respond to a crisis with a seminar. Do we want that to be said of us?

 

p

Paul Duckett
Division of Psychology and Social Change
Manchester Metropolitan University
England
Phone +44 161 247 2552
Fax +44 161 247 6364

 

 

 Hi there,

 

I'm with Paul on this - I think having 3 meetings over 18 months means I'll have to just pick which one I can afford to get to.  I agree that will lead to feeling spread thin (both for individuals and as a network).  I think Paul's point about regional meetings is good too and I know that is something we could do with doing better in Scotland. 

 

 I do think I prefer annual meetings over biennial as I wonder if those based in quite isolated settings (without cp minded colleagues) might find a gathering once every two years a bit of a long gap between meetings.  

 

On another note - I'm very happy to help Jacqui out. Jacqui could you email your contact details to the list so people who could help out can get in touch with you to let you know how we might be able to support you.

 

Finally, I do think we need to move fairly quickly towards a decision about conferences/gatherings and when the next one is going to be and who will host it as there will be plenty of organising that will need to be done.  Perhaps with all the interest in holding events we could look long term and have the hosts of the next couple of conferences decided ...

 

Other thoughts out there?

 

Rebekah

 

	Sounds good Bob, and I look forward to the East Midlands event, but may I also use this opportunity to advertise the launch of

	 

	Psychologists for Social Responsibility

	 

	Monday, 16th October, 6.00 - 8.00

	Lucas Arms Meeting Room, Gray's Inn Road,

	London (not so far from King's Cross Station)

	 

	Pl confirm your attendance by emailing

	[log in to unmask] 

	 

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___________________________________ COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK. To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask] 


___________________________________
COMMUNITYPSYCHUK - The discussion list for community psychology in the UK.
To unsubscribe or to change your details visit the website:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/COMMUNITYPSYCHUK.HTML
For any problems or queries, contact the list moderator Rebekah Pratt on [log in to unmask]