Smart City Futures to empower the community
Contact information:
Anna Higson,
Project Manager
+44 161 2953176 office
a.higson@salford.ac.uk
The University of Salford workshop – Universities and communities working together to create pathways to a Smarter City Future.
NEWS FACTS
The University of Salford will host a facilitated workshop of academics and community partners, including local schoolchildren, on Thursday 13 November at ThinkLab, University of Salford, that seeks to identify how universities can take academics out of the classroom and laboratory and into the realms of participative democracy, working with their local communities to energise and empower them to develop a successful and sustainable future.
The workshop will consist of a morning session during which delegates will work with a De Bono facilitator to explore key issues share best practices for successful community engagement in line with Smart City Futures’ theme of Citizens Empowerment and Inclusive Visioning.
Delegates will then seek ways to improve engagement and identify five specific issues to be considered over the period of time leading up to the final Smart City Futures Conference in July 2009.
For the afternoon session the same theme will be carried through, with the De Bono Facilitator and a group of year 8 and 9 children from a local school St. Ambrose Barlow R.C. The same methods will be used as with the adults in the morning session the aim of the afternoon to ascertain if the young people’s five key issues about their communities and their futures in any way reflect their elders.
The day will include sessions in creative thinking techniques from three highly regarded Edward de Bono Foundation trainers: Nigel Newman for a.m. and p.m. session at Salford.
- Nigel Newman, De Bono Lifetime Master Trainer and Director of Learning & Development for the De Bono Foundation UK
- Helen Fraser, Learning & Development Executive, The De Bono Foundation UK
- Robert DeHaas, Master Trainer and Project Manager, De Bono Centre for Expertise, School for the Future, Netherlands
The trainers will use De Bono techniques including the 6 Hats, Lateral Thinking, Simplicity, DATT and CoRT explore ways these techniques can be applied to real life situations.
This is a key event of the De Bono Creativity & Innovation week that celebrates the launch of the Edward de bono Foundation UK’s Centre for Serious Creativity & Constructive Thinking at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Crewe campus.
The work of Smart City Futures will culminate in the Final Conference, 21 – 23 July 2009, Lowry Centre, Manchester, which will showcase the work Smart City Futures has achieved in the Greater Manchester city region.
MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS
DownloadSmart City Futures logo
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ABOUT SMART CITY FUTURES
The Universities of Salford, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and The Manchester College have formed an academic coalition, called Smart City Futures, to work in partnership with civic leaders, professionals and citizens in the Greater Manchester Region. The aim of this initiative is to forge stronger relationships between academics, businesses and the community. Through this innovative drive we are identifying issues, sharing knowledge, unlocking creativity and producing solutions to ensure this thriving city region stays at the forefront of policy, strategy development and decision making within the UK and as a model for regions throughout the world.
ABOUT THE DE BONO CREATIVITY & INNOVATION WEEK
The De BonoCreativity & Innovation Week (10 – 14 November 2008) is a series of workshops and seminars for business, education and political leaders from across the Manchester region. Co-hosted by Smart City Futures partners and using De Bono creative thinking techniques the highlight of the week will be the opening of the Edward de Bono Foundation UK’s Centre for Serious Creativity & Constructive Thinking at Manchester Metropolitan University.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD
The Manchester College is a brand new institution; resulting from the merger of City College Manchester and MANCAT to form one brilliant new institution with more courses and facilities than ever before.
The learner is at the core of the formation of The Manchester College as well as provision of excellence in learning and training for the residents of Manchester and beyond.
The Manchester College is based at many sites across the city: from Moston and Crumpsall in the North to Wythenshawe and West Didsbury in the South as well as several locations in the city centre. Each has its own specialist facilities and resources, so the college is brilliantly placed to offer a huge range of opportunities for students and learners of all ages.
ABOUT DR EDWARD DE BONO
Dr Edward de Bono is the creator of the term Lateral Thinking and the founder of de Bono Thinking Systems, which, for the past 37 years, have profoundly influenced the way businesses, government and education leaders think and behave. Dr Edward de Bono is the author
ABOUT THE EDWARD DE BONO FOUNDATION UK
The Edward de Bono Foundation UK is a registered charity in the teaching and advancement of education, scientific knowledge, research and sponsorship of innovative concepts in the disciplines of human thinking and the processes of human though. Edward de Bono’s Thinking Systems, include Six Thinking Hats, Simplicity, Lateral Thinking and DATT (Direct Attention Thinking Tools). The foundation has the philanthropic purpose of promoting innovation and thinking skills across the full spectrum of society and ahs the objective to bring the de Bono Thinking Systems into Education, Industry and Government in the UK.