Facing the storm, navigating together

Date: 23rd to 27th November 2020

Venue: AdvanceHE connect and zoom

‘The devil whispered in my ear, ‘You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.”Today I whispered in the devil’s ear, “I am the storm.” – Unknown

We’ve been facing a storm, while each one of us was in their own boat. We’ve been facing a storm to which we could only react. Moving from denial or obsession to rushed preparations, to facing the eye of the storm. The storm is passing through and we are now dealing with its aftermath – Did we notice the gale warnings? Did we listen to the forecasts? Was our boat strong enough? What direction did we take? How did we meet the storm? What are we rebuilding from the driftwood?

It is time we move on towards contemplation, from considered ideas to mindful action. We weren’t able to prevent the storm, but together we can navigate it. We can look at our decision making and interrogate it. How do we continue supporting others? How are we managing the challenges? How are we balancing the equalities? It’s time we lash our boats together and all become a big flotilla. We can learn new ways to sail the waves, seek refuge and return to the sea, so we can cope with the situation in the best way possible and, much more importantly, so we can live and thrive.

This year’s SDF Festival of Learning and Development will focus on four key themes:

• Strengthening human centred strategies, approaches and resources
• Devising flexible, inclusive and active learning
• Enhancing leadership and management
• Understanding our own and HEs own problems with race

Keynotes

Monday 23 November 2020 9.45 - 10.45

Chris Lever: A Leader's guide to navigating uncharted and stormy waters in a world going through fundamental change. For information about Chris click here.

Synopsis: The World Economic Forum asserts that Leaders have to navigate the uncharted waters of this turbulent age. Given the storms ahead, this call is critical. Few leaders however have been trained to navigate, either in unfamiliar waters or in storms. Our mission is to show leaders how to do this.

Tuesday 24 November 2020 9.45 - 10.45

Magdalena Bak-Maier: Strengthening our stance, response and leadership with a human-centered approach. For information about Magdalena click here.

Synopsis: The pandemic has seeded the sector with stress, anxiety and fear that cripples effective response and forward movement. Learn how using trauma-informed education, we can boost resilience by addressing two key variables: burnout levels and resourcefulness. Take three practical tools to help you and others feel calm, collected and empowered.

Wednesday 25 November 2020 9.45 - 10.45

Jenny Garrett: Cultivating Belonging - The Three A’s of Inclusion. For information about Jenny click here.

Synopsis: Covid 19 has NOT been the great leveller that many thought it would be, instead it has highlighted inequality and societal issues that sadly still exist. Compounded with the global black lives matter movement, this truly is a time of change. In this interactive session we move beyond diversity and inclusion to explore why cultivating a sense of belonging in your institution is critical, the practical steps that you can take to begin to do so and the important 'self - work' you will have to do to make it happen.

Thursday 26 November 2020 9.45 - 10.45

Doug Parkin (AdvanceHE): A lot has changed, but change hasn't changed. For information about Doug click here.

Synopsis: Leading transformational change at pace, in unfavourable and unforecast circumstances, is extremely challenging, but the things we know about leading effective change haven't changed, we just need to consider them more deeply than ever before. Cycles of rapid change are draining, even for those with a strong opportunity orientation, and collectively initiative fatigue can set in. And if people are having to set aside their core interests to respond to imperative pressures, the sense of purpose, self-determination and personal agency that is so important for motivation and engagement can rapidly diminish. This keynote session will relate a range of established and emerging ideas regarding leading change to the current context and the challenge of rapid and repeated change.

Friday 27 November 2020 1.45 - 2.45

Nita Baum: Embodiment & Equity Leadership: Centering Equity & Inclusion Inside of Ourselves. For information about Nita click here.

Synopsis: Where do our perceptions, biases and blind spots arise from? How do our nervous systems impact the way we contribute to systemic racism, inequality, incivility and inequity? In this interactive keynote, we'll embark on a journey together to explore the relationship between our nervous systems, our wellbeing and how they shape the lenses through which we see each other, listen, sense-make, communicate and decision-make. Conversations about equity and race can be charged and uncomfortable. Once we become embodied- connected to our awareness and power in the root of ourselves - our nervous systems - we have much more agency and choice in how we show up as leaders and self-leaders to make different choices in service of greater civility, equity, wellbeing and to support each other.

Booking of keynotes and sessions:

These themes will be explored through active learning approaches in the formats of workshops, symposium, Pecha Kucha presentations, learning playground activities (quick demos and trials).

You will be asked to express the choice in keynotes and sessions you would like to attend in the next steps of your booking. You may preview the sessions here before proceeding.

Come and join us.