RSA Events

The more we spend time with people unlike ourselves, doing things together, the more understanding, tolerant, and even friendly we become. And yet, increasingly, most of us spend less and less time with people who are different - as defined by age, race, or class, earning power or education. The pandemic may have forced us apart, but it also reminded us of what we share and value. We witnessed the...

What if women’s untapped power to make change was harnessed to fight the climate crisis? Climate change affects us all globally – but it does not affect us all equally. Vast social and economic inequities mean we don’t all contribute to the climate crisis to the same degree; nor are its effects evenly distributed. Racialised women are the most likely to suffer the consequences of climate change, w...

We need a solid base camp from which to map new routes forward for humanity. One that’s built on a shared understanding of how core human needs and motivations interact with social forces to shape and drive the dynamics of change. Imagine a theory that united perspectives from human psychology to anthropology, from the sociology of groups and organisations to political science and policy design. I...

Government policies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic have reignited the universal basic income (UBI) debate, showing us the vital lifeline that income support can provide. In the US, Congress has distributed nearly $850 billion through three rounds of stimulus checks. In the UK, the furlough scheme and self-employed income support schemes have helped millions to keep their heads above water. B...

If the way we give to those in need reflects on our values and virtue as a society, what do we see today? Charitable giving has grown in response to the huge areas of need that the Covid crisis has exposed and intensified, in the form of mutual aid groups, donations, and volunteering. How has this changed our communities, our public values, and the ways we help one another? Writer and development...

The speed with which Covid-19 vaccines have been developed represents a significant achievement for humanity and is providing hope for a way out of the pandemic, but the rollout so far has been unequal: high and middle-income countries are able to secure more vaccines than they need and vaccinate populations at speed, whilst low-income countries reliant on external supplies and funding are being l...

Employees in low-skill, low-paid and insecure occupations constitute 45% of Britain’s labour market, and it is these workers that are turning their backs on the left in droves. In the 2019 election, Labour lost many seats in former strongholds in the post-industrial north and Midlands, and by contrast stacked up votes in London and other major cities. The collapse of the red wall signals a serious...

How should we understand the ‘value’ of nature? The natural world provides all the building blocks of our lives and societies; we are embedded within it, and nothing without it. But our economies currently operate as though separate from nature, with consumption outstripping its supply of resources, and environmental degradation and instability worsening faster than ever. What we need, argues Sir...

How can we all play a part in changing our ‘fast fashion’ culture?  The fashion industry accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions and a huge amount of pollution and waste. Sustainable fashion means change across the system: from how makers source and produce materials through to how we all consume and value clothing.  Designers and collectives across the UK are finding local solutions to...

Over the course of the last year, the pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement have exposed deep fault lines that show us how much work there is still to be done to make our societies equitable. At the same time, we are witnessing increased momentum for change, with individuals, communities and organisations embracing opportunities to tackle disparity through design, innovation, experimentation an...

The 2021 Albert Medal Event Sarah Gilbert  is the scientist who designed the Oxford Vaccine – one of the most significant breakthrough developments in the global fight against coronavirus.  As she receives the 2021 RSA Albert Medal for ‘collaborative innovation for the global common good’, Professor Gilbert joins RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor to reflect on an extraordinary year for scientific...

Catching the creative wave: digital learning after lockdown The pandemic, and worldwide lockdown that accompanied it, required schools across the globe to redesign their delivery models overnight. Teachers, some for the first time, had to rethink their practice to engage with learners and parents in a virtual classroom. At the same time, schools have had to confront the issue of unequal access to...

There is no secret formula for success, but what if there was a pattern you could follow to help you accomplish your goals? Certain features of accomplishment are universal: it might not be an exact science, but if you look at the successes of others there are definite patterns.  Sir Michael Barber has spent many years advising governments, businesses and major sporting teams around the world on h...

What does it take to challenge the status quo? And when and how does society’s understanding of what’s ‘normal’ start to change?  From the civil rights movement to #MeToo, we’ve seen that individual and collective action has the power to disrupt and re-define our prevailing social norms – leading in turn to changes in institutional policy, practice and the law itself.   So at a time when we find t...

In this episode, we’re delighted to share a conversation recently hosted by our Regenerative Futures programme team, which brought together a group of leading designers and entrepreneurs who are breaking new ground in the field of circular design. Since 2011, the RSA and EMF have been working together to accelerate change and support the transition to a more sustainable, regenerative future. Throu...

Crisis can bring us together, if we let it remind us what really matters. In March 2020, as the pandemic took hold across the world, beloved children’s author Michael Rosen became seriously ill with coronavirus. During several months in hospital, he observed first-hand the many different kinds of love that bind us to one another, and recorded his path to recovery under the remarkable care of loved...

The social contract shapes everything: our political institutions, legal systems and material conditions, but also the organisation of family and community, our well-being, relationships and life prospects. And yet everywhere, the social contract is failing.  At a time of global crisis, when we have an opportunity to think afresh about the future we want, visionary economist  Minouche Shafik puts...

Over recent months, we have seen individuals, communities and organisations embracing uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation, experimentation and renewal. Last year gave us all the signals we need to actively question whether the old normal is healthy and sustainable for the long term, as pandemic shock exposed deep fault-lines in our social and economic systems. The energy released in emerg...

As interest in green business models increases all over the world, how can we make sure we’re eliminating destructive practices and not merely greenwashing them?  What can we do to achieve growth that is regenerative rather than wasteful, and which instils equity rather than exacerbating inequalities?  Per Espen Stoknes , Director of the Center for Sustainability and Energy at the Norwegian Busine...

As we strengthen our connection with one another, we are healthier, more resilient, more productive, more vibrantly creative and more fulfilled. - Dr Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General As humans we’re hardwired for connection; the need for community and family have deep roots in our health and wellbeing. The impact of strong relationships and social attachments on the quality of our lives is becomin...

How do we eat, where does it come from, and what’s gone wrong? Our food systems are fragmented and plagued by short-termism. Even as we have become wealthier and enjoyed greater choice in what we eat, we have failed to balance health and environmental issues with fair and secure access to good quality food. Brexit and the pandemic together have exposed the fragility of the systems upon which we re...

A year of crisis and confusion has led many of us to think hard about what we really want and need from our working lives. Pandemic shock has up-ended conventional ways of working and prompted profound re-examination of our work-life priorities, practices and pathways. Professor Herminia Ibarra  is a leading expert on career development and transition. In an unmissable talk for anyone contemplatin...

Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, right? Wrong. This neoliberal ideal of “doing what you love” is actually a recipe for exploitation that is wreaking havoc on our lives and communities. Whether it’s working for exposure and experience, or enduring long hours and poor treatment in the name of ‘being part of the family,’ many of us have fallen into the trap of making sacrifi...

How can 2021 become a turning point for progress on climate change? With COP26 on the horizon and the incoming Biden administration poised to rejoin the Paris Agreement, climate action will be high on the agenda in 2021. But to make urgently necessary progress towards decarbonisation, the world must go further, embedding transformative economic changes across the board and building on them in the...

Societies showed remarkable resilience and adaptability in 2020: in the face of public health crisis, political polarisation, and economic insecurity, we witnessed extraordinary examples of community solidarity and social innovation. And yet deep uncertainties and challenges lie in wait in the year ahead. To meet these challenges, we need to strengthen the ties that bind us. To reimagine and renew...