Civil Renewal

The right have hijacked Englishness. Can it be reclaimed?

I spent Saturday morning listening to an exceptional former Green MP Caroline Lucas talk about England and being English and how distorted our electoral system has become. She is a formidable and eloquent analyst of how our system has become a bandwagon for the right and how we might change this dynamic by transforming manyContinue reading “The right have hijacked Englishness. Can it be reclaimed?”

DEEP REGENERATION

In the midst of today’s tumultuous times, as we grapple with a rapidly changing climate and deepening social divides, the need for action has never been more pressing. The concepts of regeneration and sustainability have long been discussed in academic circles, but we must move beyond the realm of theory and into the arena ofContinue reading “DEEP REGENERATION”

TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS:A UNIVERSITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD

From the Times Higher Education Book Review. No one paying attention needs reminding that universities are “in crisis”. We are beset by critiques of their complicity with neoliberal and extractive capitalism, dispossession of First Nations, top-heavy administrative regimes, and pedagogical shifts away from critical thinking toward so-called job-ready, marketable skill sets. When we turn aContinue reading “TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS:A UNIVERSITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD”

Rotterdam citizens concerned with air quality form a club

They will be measuring air quality as a citizen-driven science project Over 400 citizens of Rotterdam have already registered in a special club dedicated to air quality and called Luchtclub. Part of the activities of the club is the measurement of air pollution on the street with particulate matter sensors. The club aligns with a five-decade-oldContinue reading “Rotterdam citizens concerned with air quality form a club”

LEVELLING UP WHITE PAPER 2022

I wrote this extract immediately below from a blog in July 2020 and was surprised by what seemed to be its impact. There is a growing interest in the idea of civic universities. It’s an idea which has a new resonance with many who believe it’s time for a reassessment of what aContinue reading “LEVELLING UP WHITE PAPER 2022”

Quality of the Student Experience and the Levelling up Agenda

Since its inception in 2018 the Office for Students (OfS) has not placed any priority on the environmental and social sustainability agenda unlike its predecessors (Higher Education Funding Council; Quality Assurance Agency). So, I was interested to see it announce a new consultation on its next strategy. What caught my attention was the propositionContinue reading “Quality of the Student Experience and the Levelling up Agenda”

CONSULTATION ON THE OfS STRATEGY-2022-2025

The Office for Students(OfS) has just announced a change in emphasis to its regulatory strategy for university quality assurance:it’s about levelling up and the role of universities in this policy vacuum. “Three and a half years since our public launch, this consultation on our new strategy marks a significant milestone for the Office for StudentsContinue reading “CONSULTATION ON THE OfS STRATEGY-2022-2025”

Sustainability needs new approaches to adult learning: a role for citizens’ assemblies.

Adult learning for citizenship needs to respond to rapid global change which is economic, political, social, cultural and ecological. The destruction of the environment, and the various initiatives and actions, by individuals, communities, organisations and movements like the Climate Change school ‘strikers’ and Extinction Rebellion, set a bold and urgent context to repurposing adult citizenship education andContinue reading “Sustainability needs new approaches to adult learning: a role for citizens’ assemblies.”

Twelve Principles for Reinventing the 21 Century University

Universities are much in the news, but it is not good news. The rise in the pandemic R number in the UK is having a profound impact on university students as they return in their thousands to campuses to find in many of them that they face total lockdown. So, no immersive quality campus experienceContinue reading “Twelve Principles for Reinventing the 21 Century University”

Climate Assembly UK: Talking about the whether…

Guest Blog by Barry Carney, Research Associate with Change Agents UK The UK is legally committed to net zero emissions by 2050. This target was put forward by the Government’s statutory advisor, the Committee on Climate Change, for delivering on the UK’s commitments to the Paris Agreement. The measures are a continued response to theContinue reading “Climate Assembly UK: Talking about the whether…”