Tuesday 28 July 2015

Videos from the Leading Wellbeing Research Festival 2015

Over 200 people from more than 20 countries gathered in July to explore new approaches to leadership for wellbeing and sustainability. Organised by the Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) and the BrathayTrust, the 3 day event offered participants over 40 research papers, 30 speakers, music, dancing, workshops and outdoor activities in England's beautiful Lake District.

The event has kindled a community that is staying in touch on facebook and linked in, with a reunion planned for April 2016 during a Spring School in Sustainable Leadership offered by IFLAS.

The first videos are now available.


A taster of the speakers and delegates present at the Leading Wellbeing Research Festival at Brathay Hall, July 16th–18th, 2015, with music from Cate Ferris, who performed at the Festival from No Routes Found on Vimeo.


Snippet from the Plenary Keynote by Charles Eisenstein: “A new story of wellbeing” from No Routes Found on Vimeo.

Other videos include

Some of the Faces, Thoughts and Feelings are portrayed here: https://vimeo.com/134654213
 
The Plenary Panel “Telling stories of wellbeing” was hosted by Jo Confino, with Sue Adams, Nandita Das, Charles Eisenstein and Lynne Franks (Thursday 17th July): https://vimeo.com/134628972

The Plenary Keynote “Roots and Wings: from Cultural Heritage to Wellbeing and Sustainability” was delivered by Anna Zegna (Friday 17th July). https://vimeo.com/134646467  

The Plenary Panel on “Business Leadership for Wellbeing and Sustainability” was hosted by Ed Gillespie, with Richard Little, Mark Drewell, Ariane Thomas and Mark Cropper (Friday 17th July) https://vimeo.com/134640737  

The Plenary Panel “On Love and Leadership” was hosted by Lynne Franks, with Ramin Kaweh, Zeffi Kefala, Charlotte Millar and Jo Confino (Saturday 18th July). https://vimeo.com/134663059

More videos will be available via the facebook group.

More about the festival, including links to the programme and the presentations, is available at www.leadingwell.org

This welcome to the Festival, from Professor Jem Bendell (Founder of IFLAS) and Godfrey Owen (CEO of Brathay Trust), explains the philosophy of the Festival.

Welcome

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books; Or surely you’ll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks; Why all this toil and trouble?
... Books! ‘tis a dull and endless strife: Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life, There’s more of wisdom in it.

These verses from local William Wordsworth, written over two hundred years ago, reflect our festival spirit. We like scholarship, but immersing in nature and refreshing our creative desires

is key for developing practical wisdom. This festival is an exploration of ideas and also format, by mixing engaged scholars with radical professionals from across sectors and cultures. We aim at a maximum mix of people, ideas and processes with few frills. We are chuffed to welcome scholars presenting over 40 papers, and speakers who are participating without charge, some coming from across continents.

We are aiming for interaction and reflection, with the Open Space, World CafĂ©, Open Mic and Storytelling sessions, amongst provocative plenaries and interviews. Underlying the range of sessions is the deeper question: “How might I lead greater wellbeing?”

It is an important question, because while more people speak of sustainability, the environmental news is really bad. While more people work on wellbeing, austerity bites and few address the
power relations that undermine opportunities for collective wellbeing. While more people call for leadership, we risk forgetting the need for us all to lead together. But tough issues don’t have to be explored in a tough or dull way. We can enjoy getting to know people on a deeper level as we explore whether to let go of our old stories of success and wellbeing, and where that will lead our work and life. That kind of fresh thinking likes fresh air, so we have organised a range of outdoor
activities for you.

The festival is also a celebration. We want to share our good fortune being here in the Lake District, which inspires through the cultural heritage and contours of the landscape (check that view!). It was here in the 1800s that contemporary conservation was born.

The festival could not have happened without our supporters Futerra, Reagent Switzerland and Heart of the Lakes. A huge team are involved, with top-level coordination by Lucy Maynard and Philippa Chapman. We look forward to meeting you during the festival. If you have any complaints, don’t fret, just come find us on the zipwire or in the bar ;-)

So, Up, Up, friends, these days are a unique moment of exploration. They are a time for us to share and learn. As you mill around before sessions, paddle on the lake, dance the tango, or buy a drink, try asking someone “What do you stand for?”

Jem Bendell (Director of IFLAS, UoC) and  Godfrey Owen (CEO, Brathay Trust)

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