Rsa Events

In this Vote100 year, Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom asks: can we really say our democracy is as equal as the Suffragettes sought to make it? Andrea visits the RSA to share the lessons of her work addressing harassment and bullying in Westminster, to explore the challenges and opportunities for Parliament posed by the digital age, and to set out her views on what both say about our wider political culture. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Wednesday 25th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/strengthening-our-parliamentary-democracy

Should you really be shocked by the Facebook revelations? Author and Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media, Jamie Bartlett argues that our fragile political system is being threatened by the digital revolution. We have given over much of our lives to shadowy powers behind a wall of code, all manipulated by a handful of Silicon Valley utopians, ad men, and venture capitalists. And, in light of recent data breach scandals around companies such as Cambridge Analytica, what does that mean for democracy, our delicately balanced system of government that was created long before big data, total information and artificial intelligence? This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 19th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/how-the-internet-is-killing-democracy

Academic, bestselling author and Star Trek scriptwriter Leonard Mlodinow gives us the tools to harness the power of elastic thinking in an endlessly dynamic world. How can we train our brains to be more comfortable when confronting change? How do our brains generate new ideas, and how can we nurture that process? Why can diversity and even discord be beneficial to our thought process? This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 12th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/the-power-of-elastic-thinking

The Secret Barrister, one of the UK’s leading law bloggers, shares insights from the frontline of our criminal justice system, and warns that it’s now close to breaking point. Few of us find ourselves thinking critically about our criminal justice system; considering how and why we have this particular way of doing justice, or reflecting on the impact it has upon the hundreds of thousands of people – defendants, witnesses and victims – who pass through the system every year. But we should - because criminal justice affects us all. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 10th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/why-criminal-justice-matters-10-04-18

UK industry is at a defining moment as technological and political advancements influence the sector. We gather an expert panel to discuss how businesses can capitalise on the value of design in navigating change. Can the principles and processes of design be harnessed to ensure UK business remains on the front foot in a rapidly changing economic and policy landscape? This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 24th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/design-and-the-fourth-industrial-revolution

Jennifer Palmieri, former Director of Communications for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama – visits the RSA to issue an open invitation to all women to forge a new model of leadership. While wildly disappointed by the outcome of the election, Palmieri argues that the Clinton candidacy and all she experienced on the campaign trail --confusion, admiration, hate, love, acceptance, rejection-- can now open us all up to reimagining women in leadership roles. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 24th April 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/04/an-open-letter-to-the-women-who-will-run-the-world

How can we galvanise renewed political interest in environmental issues to drive bolder action? With Caroline Lucas MP, Leader of the Green Party. Thirty years on from the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 1988, and with thirty years to go to meet the Paris Agreement’s target of a carbon-neutral world by 2050, it’s a timely moment take stock of the current politics of climate change in the UK. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Monday 27th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/the-politics-of-climate-change

Richard Sennett, one of the world's leading thinkers on the urban environment, traces the relationship between how cities are built and how people live in them. In describing how cities such as Paris, Barcelona and New York assumed their modern forms, Sennett explores the intimate relationship between the good built environment and the good life. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 15th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/building-and-dwelling

Daniel Coyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Talent Code, reveals the team-building skills behind some of the most effective organisations in the world. He examines the verbal and physical cues that bring people together, and determines specific strategies that encourage collaboration and build trust. And he offers cautionary tales of toxic cultures and advises how to reform them, above all demonstrating the extraordinary achievements that result when we know how to cooperate effectively. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 8th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/the-secrets-of-highly-successful-groups

Entrepreneur Laurence Kemball-Cook visits the RSA to discuss the role that design can play in building an economy and industry fit for the future. The off-grid energy and data business has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2009 and Laurence has built a wealth of experience in design technology, innovation, scaling, and reaching new markets. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Wednesday 7th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/design-industry-opportunity

As the Citizens’ Economic Council launches its final report, we hear from participants and public figures including Andrew Haldane, Bank of England; Patricia Wharton, CEC member; Anand Menon, UK in a Changing Europe; and Gemma Tetlow, Financial Times. The programme travelled across the UK, and listened to groups that included steelworkers, students and LGBT community members, all calling for change as they shared their lived experiences of the British economy. The Citizens’ Economic Council rose to this challenge, deliberating on the economic issues our society faces to co-design an economy that works for everyone. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 6th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/building-a-citizens-economy

In his first major speech, the new Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt Hon David Gauke MP, will outline his view on the future of prisons and rehabilitation. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 6th March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/prisons---david-gauke

Shadow Attorney General, Shami Chakrabarti, argues that gender injustice is the greatest human rights abuse on the planet, and proposes a new way forward. From the disparity in the number of births to issues of schooling, work, ownership, faith, political representation and international diplomacy, Chakrabarti will outline what needs fixing and make clear, inspiring proposals about what we do next, putting women's rights at the centre of the progressive political agenda. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 1st March 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/03/of-women-in-the-21st-century

Award-winning architect Alison Brooks speaks about architects’ duties to respond to the social, cultural and physical context in their work. Pioneering architect Alison Brooks believes in the transformative social role of architecture, and has led new design thinking, in particular on housing and urban design. Committed to design responsive to people and place, Alison creates environments that are at the very heart of inclusive cities and communities. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 22nd February 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/2/if-not-us-then-who

The challenges we face today are formidable. But, argues influential global thinker Steven Pinker, our problems are solvable. What we need now is an Enlightenment recharged for the 21st century. Pinker argues that we must recognise and celebrate the remarkable gains that have been made in every measure of human wellbeing. If you follow trendlines rather than headlines, you discover that our lives have become longer, healthier, safer and more prosperous - not just in the West, but worldwide. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 20th February 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/2/enlightenment-now

How can learning be strengthened to meet the demands of the 21st century? RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor explores how we create an environment of active learning and increase opportunities for development and fulfilment. Lifelong learning has never been more crucial. We face the challenge of a workplace which is transforming rapidly while technology is driving massive economic and social changes. We are living longer, in more diverse communities and connected on a global scale – understanding the world around us is increasingly important. Yet the UK lags behind in adult literacy and numeracy while adult education provision is declining and there is no national strategy for lifelong learning. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Tuesday 20th February 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/2/a-place-for-learning

A powerful movement is growing in force – but where will it go next? The ‘Weinstein effect’ has seen revelations of pervasive sexual assault and exploitation come to light across the world, sparking the #MeToo and TIME’S UP campaigns aimed at giving women a voice in tackling systemic injustice. Panel: Laura Bates, bestselling author and founder of the Everyday Sexism project; Helen Pankhurst, author and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst; Ayesha Hazarika, Political Commentator and Comedian and Sophie Walker, Founding Leader of the Women’s Equality Party (WEP).

Why are we still struggling to get disadvantaged students into university? An expert panel featuring Alan Rusbridger, Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, gathers to discuss how to make education fairer. Despite efforts by universities and schools across the country, the gap between richer and poorer students stubbornly persists; from attainment in school to university application and acceptance. Educational and socioeconomic disadvantage disproportionately affects certain ethnic minority groups, and our current system risks further entrenching these patterns of injustice. With social mobility stalling, what can be done to remove barriers to accessing university education? This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 1st February 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/2/how-can-we-make-universities-more-inclusive

Timothy Morton, hailed as the 'philosopher prophet of the Anthropocene', invites us to a revolution in the way we understand our place in the world. In his new work, Morton confronts the information-dump fatigue of the digital age, by offering no ecological 'facts' but instead a radically invigorated and liberating approach to understanding ourselves, our interconnectedness with each other and the biosphere that sustains us. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Monday 29th January 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/1/being-ecological

Bestselling author and RSA Animate sensation Dan Pink reveals the ideal ‘when’ for every decision. Timing is everything- but how much do we know about timing itself? Our lives are a never-ending stream of “when” decisions: when to start a business, schedule a class, get serious about a person. Yet we make those decisions based on intuition and guesswork. This event was recorded live at The RSA on Thursday 25th January 2018. Discover more about this event here: https://www.thersa.org/events/2018/1/the-secret-of-perfect-timing