Newsletter, August 2007

Contents this month

• Main article: Summertime and the living is...
• Reconnections 2007
• Citizenbase - because engagement has to work both ways
• Project news

Reconnections 2007

Everybody has particular pieces of work they look forward to, and for me one of them is Forum for the Future’s annual Reconnections programme. From its tentative beginnings in 2000 this has grown into a unique and fascinating event that I am privileged to facilitate.

It’s a curious mixture. Take 12-15 individuals of every age, rank and sector, sharing only high intelligence, an unusual take on the world, and a genuine commitment to sustainable development. Mix in the environmentalist Jonathon Porritt, the Gaian biologist Susan Canney, the photographer Mark Edwards, the social scientist Ian Christie and the philosopher Kate Rawles, and take them all to a spectacular retreat in deepest Cumbria.

Stir powerfully, using challenging presentations and discussion, canoeing on Lake Coniston, walking and sculpture in a lakeland wilderness, story-telling, and music (including a didgeridoo this year). You end up with a week of endless fascination and deep, deep feeling.

If you want to know more, or reserve a place for next year, email andrewa@dialoguebydesign.com or telephone 01453 842746.