If you’re reading this you’re probably the kind of person who reads books, listens to podcasts and wonders about why the world is the way it is.
You’re not alone.
The one thing missing from all those books and talks is the sense of community behind it, the richness of learning and sharing ideas through discussion. So the Festival of Big Ideas is all about bringing together 50 -`100 people for a weekend in castle where can get to grips with a world of interesting ideas. We will create a non-adversarial atmosphere where we discuss rather than debate and seek how we can learn from each other’s point of view to enrich our perspective.
We won’t be inviting famous speakers so that we can all sit back and listen to long talks bur rather we will take the spirit of the 5 Minute University where a range of speakers present ideas in, well, 5 minutes, and use that as kindling for discussion.
There will also be workshops on things like storytelling, how to see the other side of an argument, and games exploring group dynamics. This first event is something of a sandbox as we explore what it is we want the festival to be – so feel free to let us know your ideas and bring your own ideas for short talks and workshops. It’s a participatory festival 🙂
We keep the numbers small so that we can create an intimate environment and the program will be balanced with mindfulness sessions in the morning so that we can keep a sense of calm even when our ideas are challenged.
And rather than get stuck in polarised debates that go nowhere, we will approach discussions in a spirit of cooperation where disagreement is an opportunity for both parties to learn and grow.
And it doesn’t hurt that it’s set in a castle where the extraordinary location can help us come up with extraordinary ideas 🙂
We will provide all the food, you can stay in the castle itself and we’ll make a fire at night and make some music to it so we can dance and ensure that the festival is not entirely an out-of-body experience…