The RSA is the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce and ‘works to remove the barriers to social progress’. It is however a “members only” club. The OpenRSA group is facilitating member/non member networks as well as …

I wonder if it’s OK to pop in and say hello? I am a brand new fellow of RSA, and was surfing the site for like minded fellows on Friday, when I followed the ‘engagement’ thread and found myself here. I really enjoyed reading your dialogue and the links and your enthusiasm, David, is infectious and inspiring!

A couple of things resonated strongly. One is the fact that stakeholder engagement is still working from a ‘top down’ paradigm. I find this a lot in my work with Central Government Departments trying to get more in touch with regions and front line delivery agencies. In the RSA’s case this is manifested by the ‘great and good’ lecture format, and the sense of Fellows as an untapped resource. Even the Coffee House initiative, which I think is exciting and worthwhile. still for me has a whiff of an idea formulated at the Centre with the expectation that the battalions of fellows ‘go implement’. So I really appreciate and applaud your intiative to open up RSA and get a more equal, dynamic conversation moving between fellows.

The other thing that struck me is the emphasis you place on new forms of interactive technology as a vehicle for opening up dialogue.
So I understand the online/offline group to exist – at present – as a complement, or counterpoint to the traditional norms of RSA contact with fellows. Would this be right?

The thing is, I am seriously technologically challenged, and I keep getting messages from the universe that I need to open myself to this world and join with people who understand it.

Much of my expertise is in human and group processes, how to mediate the quality of contact and exchange between groups of people in real time, and the ‘field conditions’ that support more dynamic kinds of interaction. I feel there is so much to be done here. So I suppose I don’t want to take my eye off the ball of the established ‘above the line’ face to face processes and rituals of the RSA and how to transform them. For example, holding an RSA Open Space event as a possible way of seeding projects and helping Fellows find links, even changing the seating arrangements in the lecture hall, looking at how events are facilitated and organised for inclusion and participation.

A personal question for me is, how does this understanding of face to face human/group process make itself useful in a technologically driven age, and how might technology support a more ‘sustainable model of consciousness’ that Sean is pointing towards, which I agree is so needed, hippy child or not. And how can I/we do ‘offline/online’ in ever more powerful ways which would bring together and tap into both the traditions and the renewal energy inside organisations like RSA?

I’m not sure what your plans are or what the next step might be in this intiative, but if anything I’ve said is of interest, and/or you are looking for others to contribute to your work, I’d be really interested to join you.

In the meantime, thanks again for everything you’ve done so far, you have given me a very stimulating induction into the undersea world of RSA. Good luck with whatever happens next!

Fiona Coffey

These, of course are very different times, and some may feel as I do that the challenges facing humanity are wider, deeper and more risk laden than they were at the outset of the RSA.

254 years ago the pursuit was “encouragement of the arts, manufactures and commerce”. There is no shortage, globally of any of these three, and there is much, much upside we enjoy from the legacies of arts, manufactures and commerce.

The problem is there is much downside too.

The pursuit of a civilised society.

Hmmm. I only caught a little of PM’s questions yesterday, but the challenges covered included: Terrorism, Health, Drugs, the Olympics, Casinos, Housing, Education, Nuclear Power, Open and Transparent political process….

I’m not sure if the Environment was covered.

My point? I think there are two. The big one first, (it seems to me) that humanity is still in its adolescence, and that we have still to workout how to live in a manageable degree of harmony with each other and our big home, the Earth.

We seem to lack a Sustainable mode of consciousness, or a prevailing worldview that looks like it will offer a bright future for our children (As I write I’m struck I sound like some kind of hippy earth child, the limitation here is my ability to express what it is we all know…)

The second therefore is how to use Social Media (Web 2.0) to get meaningful progressive engagement, (innovative thinking and action) with issues of the day (like the issues covered at PM’s Questions) within a greater progressive framework.

The Drugs Commission the RSA was (is?) such a great opportunity for much wider participation. Most likely members of this discussion have used recreational drugs. As have policy makers and MP’s. Many people have something to say, if properly motivated and enabled.

To drop thinking into the already excellent ideas on offer.

I’d like to see the a provocative set of arguments summarised on a GREAT short film (as well as the words we already have), I’d like to see the film on the home page of the RSA, (and BBC website on launch day) with ways of inviting participation from fellows and non fellows alike.

It would be great if we could use the good work of the Drugs commission to inspire or provoke, using a wide range of platforms, (All our websites, you tube, mobile phone younameit) to achieve differing levels and forms of engagement and deliberation with such issues. Arguably it is only through some form of deliberative democracy that informed consensus will evolve.

For me this is as much about innovative, media enable approaches to advancing democracy as it is fellowship engagement.

I’m sorry I could not attend, I was stuck at Gatwick, but respect to David, Ian and all engaged in this quest for finding a new paradigm for fellowship engagement at the RSA.

@simon – very sorry that we didn’t make contact earlier – the 1.30 thing was entirely my own doing. Sensible people left at sensible times.

@Malcolm – yes, it is exactly this transparency that seems to be the key.

>>as an aside, I tried to post this to Facebook but it told me it was too long! It’s probably right but a serious limitation all the same . . .