Jay Mercer explained the tension between two forces in the education system. On the one hand the desire for structure in organisations and exams, and on the other the creativity, innovation and flexibility that people want to be the spirit at the heart of institutions.
Jackie Beere explained that her experience as a teacher and head teacher had given her a passion to try and help ensure that young people get more than the basics from school.
After the Intro from Steve Moore, and directions from facilitator Johnnie Moore, we had several presentations developed with the instruction to speakers to keep it to five minutes - and be provocative.
Futures - and so opportunities - are determined in part by the shared sets of values in play at any time. The Tomorrow Project is an independent, registered charity undertaking a programme of research, consultation and communication in Britain about people's lives - what's been happening so far, what will shape the years ahead, and what we need to think about.
Gareth Dent points us towards Dr Julia Davies' excellent article about Flickr . In it she concludes;
"Online Affinity Spaces allow us to share new ideas and new ways of seeing and to bring cultural understandings together with others, where they can be re-examined, used and transformed in the image-making practices of others."
Fascinating Article by Dr Julia Davies, University of Sheffield on how social learning spaces develop and are sustained on the photo sharing site Flickr
Check out this very interesting work by Demos - http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/workingprogress which suggests that there is a growing disconnect between young people and the organisations that seek to employ them.
