Autumn 2025 virtual coffeehouse

Echoing the RSA’s origin as an enlightenment coffeehouse over 250 years ago, our regular South East Coffeehouse series offers an interactive space to share, spark and develop ideas for social change.

Each month, on a Friday lunchtime, we feature impactful South East Fellows, giving them the floor to share their work, or to facilitate a thought-provoking discussion. We invite you to connect with your Fellowship community near and far, be inspired by innovative social change projects, share insights and learn from each other.

The themes and conversations vary month-to-month, fostering unique conversations in each session. So come along, and start your weekend with a spark of inspiration!

10 Oct- Abena Akuffo Kelly FRSA- Repairing together: repurposing and restoring as a community

Repairs Together CIC offers a space where the Folkstone community can connect, share skills, and make a tangible difference. By repairing and repurposing items, the initiative tackles the climate emergency and cost-of-living pressures while also reducing loneliness. In this session, Founder Abena will share how the project began, the lessons learned, and how others might start similar initiatives in their own communities.

17 Oct- Joy O’Neill FRSA- From soil to soul: Care Farming - benefits for farmers & the rural community

Care farming also known as social farming uses farming activities in a therapeutic way to support individuals with health, education and wellbeing goals. But what of the farmers and organisations setting up and running care farms? Buckinghamshire-based RSA Fellow Joy O’Neill shares the learnings from her 2020 Churchill Fellowship which focused on care farming and the benefits for care farmers, the rural economy and local communities. Joy invites fellows to share their reflections on her journey so far and next steps for her work.

17 Nov- Oliver Enwonwu FRSA- Exploring Liminality through Art

How can art foster reflection and self-awareness in mental health contexts? RSA Fellow & Artist, Oliver uses his creative practice to explore liminality - the in-between spaces of life - as a lens to understand mental health and wellbeing. In this session, he shares his story and artistic journey, reflecting on how art can foster self-awareness, healing, and new ways of engaging with mental health.

28 Nov- Rachel Stewart FRSA: Journeys of life – work in all it’s wonders

Rachel Stewart is investigating what working lives look like, what shapes them, how people feel about their own, and how they talk about them when there’s no agenda. Inspired by Studs Terkel’s seminal book Working (1974), Through interviewing working people at 50+, inviting them reflect on their working life - past, present and future. The project is an open exploration, with the intention that the material, rather than a research question, leads the way. Rachel will share her approach, themes and learning emerging within and across the stories so far, and the impact of the process on interviewee and interviewer.

Fri 5 Dec- Roy Leighton MPhil FRSA: theatre of peace

The ‘theatre of peace’ methodology offers practical insights into how positive psychology and restorative practices can transform conflict into peace through participatory theatre.

In this talk, Roy will explore how to build a culture of restorative peace and healthy conflict in the workplace. He will share his unique approach of transrational facilitation, which blends the rigour of research and practice with the creativity of intuition. Drawing on experience across corporate, social, and educational settings, Roy will present recent projects from the UK and beyond, showing how a human-centred approach to conflict can create more peaceful workplaces - and a more peaceful world.

Taking part in Online Events

For our interactive online events, the RSA uses the platform Zoom. It may be necessary to follow a short set-up process so please allow time for this ahead of the event starting. Zoom call joining details will be sent via email in advance of the event.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

At the RSA, we strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all Fellows. We ask that you fill out the accessibility requirements box in your Eventbrite booking form in advance of our events to ensure that we can accommodate such requirements.

Join Circle and connect with others who attend this event

Join Circle, the RSA’s community platform, to stay up to date on the latest events, connect with Fellows across the world, and engage with the RSA Design for Life mission. To get started on Circle, you need to have a My RSA account. If you already have a My RSA account, your account details will be the same for Circle.

Data and Personal Information

To understand how Zoom uses your data, please read their privacy policy. We sometimes record our online RSA Fellowship events for learning purposes, publicity and/or public viewing. By attending this event, you accept that you may appear in RSA videos, audio or images as an attendee of this event.

By registering for this event you consent to receiving communications about this event, both before and after, and you agree to the sharing of your name, organisation & title with the Fellow(s) and/or partner organisation(s) hosting this event. Attendees also agree to the sharing of their name and organisation with other delegates at the event so that they might contact you. If you do not wish this information to be shared, please let us know by emailing: fellowship@rsa.org.uk.

The information you provide when registering for an event will be retained by the RSA and will be used to record attendance at the event. To understand more about how the RSA uses your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Please note that filming/photography may take place at this event for promotional and archival purposes. If you would prefer not to be photographed please let us know by replying to this email or speaking to the event leader.

Please be aware that registrations will close two hours before the event is due to start.