Inspriration, regeneration, flow
- August 23, 2016
- No comments
Hello!
After the success of the meeting in Hasselt the next European Appreciative Inquiry Network meeting will be hosted in London, in the historic maritime borough of Greenwich. The area is the home of Sarah Lewis, who will be hosting this event along with David Shaked, Anne Radford, Terri McNerney, Lesley Moore, Nick Moore, Steve Loraine, Ann Shacklady-Smith and Julie Barnes.
The Network of practitioners from across Europe gets together twice a year to share experiences, knowledge and skills and to offer mutual support on work and life. The get together (or Network meeting) is held in the spirit of Appreciative Inquiry, which creates a unique atmosphere and experience. At this event we are hoping to attract positive psychology practitioners as well, to enhance the mix!
Some of the particular benefits of attending this event will include
The Venue
The borough of Greenwich and the surrounding area has a long and rich history, taking in shipbuilding and navigation (Captain Cook fitted out two ships in neighbouring Deptford, the Resolution and the Discovery, to use on his voyages of exploration), science (Greenwich is home to the Royal Observatory, the base of Greenwich Mean Time) and royalty. After extensive regeneration following the decline of the London Docks the riverside portions of Greenwich have been reborn as artistic and tourist hubs.
Historic Greenwich – Royalty, Time and the Oceans
Indeed, this stretch of the Thames is an amazing blurring of the old and the new, with the beautiful buildings of the Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site (Greenwich Palace – birthplace of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and now the National Maritime Museum and the University of Greenwich – the Royal Observatory and Greenwich covered market) sitting just across the river from the skyscrapers of the new Docklands financial district, itself built on the wharfs and quays of the East India Docks, a self-contained city within the London docks and base of operations of the East India Company. There are even a few survivors of the intervening age of industry in the form of buildings like the riverside Greenwich Power Station and the London to Greenwich railway viaduct – the world’s first purpose built passenger railway line and still in use today.
Modern Greenwich – The LABAN Centre, a music and dance centre built on the reclaimed ruins of the Deptford Creek industrial site
The LABAN Centre in Deptford, a beautiful building and part of the Trinity LABAN Conservatoire Of Music And Dance, will be the venue for our event.
The Theme
Given these surroundings, so redolent of change and evolution, of finding new purposes for old strengths and always finding a use for the river – Greenwich’s gateway to the world – the hosting committee was inspired to base the event on the ideas of Flourishing Connections: Regeneration, Flow and Inspiration.
The hosts hope to attract newer practitioners of AI and positive psychology into this event to connect and so they will include an introductory Appreciative Inquiry session in the Open Space options .
Dates
The core dates for the event are from 3pm on the 19th to 3/4pm on the 21st of October (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), with the Jedi Council meeting taking place after the closing ceremony on Friday 21st from 5-6:30pm.
Schedule – Provisional
Wednesday 19th
3pm – Meet in coffee bar in Museum of London Docklands.
4pm – Group Tour of Docklands Museum, theme Regeneration.
8pm – Optional Group Meal in Vanbrugh Tavern (old Greenwich pub, excellent food, personal connections) (not included in network meeting price).
Thursday 20th
10am – Assemble at Laban/Trinity, Deptford Green.
10:30am – Opening ceremony and welcome to old and new participants.
11:30am – Refreshment Break.
Midday – Appreciative interviews – connected to positive and appreciative discovery process, with refreshments.
Lunch (many good local eateries in central Greenwich) (not included in network meeting price)..
3pm – Meta-Saga Riverboat trip from Greenwich pier to Tower Hill (for those who want escorted trip back via DLR and Cable Car over the river) or to London Bridge or Westminster for those keen to do their own excursion (use own oyster card)
Evening – Evening meal at English C18th Pub by river The Cutty Sark (Included in network meeting price)
Friday 21st
10am – Re-connecting.
10:30am – Positive and Appreciative Dreaming, a dreaming process on bringing the best of both of these ways of approaching the world and organisations from this perspective.
Lunch
1pm – Open Space focussed on ‘How to bring the best of the positive and the appreciative into our work to create or regenerate flourishing connections’. Also a parallel introduction to Appreciative Inquiry and/or positive psychology to help newer or first time attendees.
3pm – Creative Movement with Laban Dance staff. A movement based exploration of the experience of our two days and our learning together
4pm – Closing ceremony.
4.30 pm – Event finish, guidance on local nightlife for those interested.
5-6:30pm – Jedi Council Meeting.
Prices
Price for Members €240
Price for Non-Members €265
Price inclusive of refreshments as shown, including evening meal on Thursday and access to Docklands Museum. Does not include lunch on Thursday or evening meal Wednesday. Does not include accommodation nor travel cost on River Boat.
Limited to 30 places
Accommodation
There is plenty of accommodation in the area, some of the nearby hotels and hostels are as below. Prices taken from websites early September 2016, so subject to change
Novotel (by Greenwich Mainline Station) €306
Ibis (Greenwich Town Centre) €132
Premier Inn (Greenwich) $70
Travel Lodge (Greenwich High Road) £174 for two nights
Travel Lodge (Deptford Bridge) £144 for two nights
Venture Hostel (Tanners Hill, Deptford) $13
The Greenwich Hotel $109
St Christopher’s Inn (Greenwich Hostel) $12
Prices correct at the time of posting.